By Simona Balazs, CEDIK Research Director Research increasingly supports the importance of food in learning. When children do not have access to food, they are unable to reach their full potential. Children who have limited access to food and experience hunger on a regular basis, lag in academic performance behind their peers in school and …
By Mercedes Maness, CEDIK Extension Intern The Youth Engagement Leadership Program (YELP) is a highly adaptable curriculum that has been introduced to rural and urban youth across the Commonwealth. In the case of the fifth grade students at William Wells Brown Elementary School, located in Lexington, Kentucky, they got a full day immersion into the …
Early in June, members of the CEDIK team presented on research and outreach outcomes at the joint conference of the Community Development Society, CDS, and the National Association for Community Development Extension Professionals, NACDEP. The “BIG Skies, BOLD Partnerships; Moving Mountains Together” Conference united two community development associations to engage 300 participants to sharing, learning, … Continue reading
By Lori Garkovich, Professor, Department of Community and Leadership Development Jim Kirby, environmental scientist in the Division of Waste Management (Superfund Branch) and Amanda LeFevre, Assistant Director of the Division of Compliance Assistance are both in the Department for Environmental Protection (KDEP). They have an important message for Kentucky communities seeking to revitalize their local … Continue reading
By Jairus Rossi, Assistant Research Professor, CEDIK There are many aspects to a local food economy. Local foods are distributed through various market channels and community food activities, as well as supported through an assortment of branding and promotional activities. Recent surveys of consumers in Lexington, KY were conducted parallel to a national survey on … Continue reading
By Shaheer Burney, CEDIK Graduate Assistant A robust entrepreneurial environment is vital for the development of an economy. Startups and small businesses constitute an astonishingly high proportion of total economic activity in the United States. In 2014, establishments with less than 20 employees comprised about 85% of total establishments in Kentucky and about 86% of … Continue reading
By Jairus Rossi, Assistant Research Professor with CEDIK The local food scene in Lexington, Kentucky and surrounding areas is growing rapidly. It is not uncommon to see the names of farms and local products prominently displayed in food trucks, restaurants, and grocery stores. When researchers at CEDIK conducted a local food demand assessment in late … Continue reading
Karen Fawcett, CEDIK Program Coordinator Wayfinding is the ability to orient oneself based on repeated cues from the physical environment such as physical landmarks or signage. It can benefit a community in many ways by strengthening community identity, providing direction through town and surrounding county, highlight interesting destinations, complement town profiles, and strategically improve livability. … Continue reading
By Dan Kahl, Assistant Professor, Department of Community and Leadership Development “Readiness” is a term often mentioned by community developers as a way to describe a community’s collective potential for development. The concept of community readiness actually may have Kentucky roots. Edwards, Jumper-Thurman, Plested, Ottering, & Swanson (2000) credit the concept of community readiness to … Continue reading
