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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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
By Dan Kahl, Assistant Professor, Department of Community and Leadership Development There is a level of attention to detail needed to bring people together effectively. As our communities become more and more fragmented, the practice of convening can become a powerful process for bringing people back together again. Convening can create “a spot at the … Continue reading
Three new CEDIK publications from our research faculty and staff: Allen, James, IV, Jairus Rossi, Timothy Woods, Alison Davis, “Do community supported agriculture programmes encourage change to food lifestyle behaviours and health outcomes? New evidence from shareholders,” International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, May 2016. doi: 10.1080/14735903.2016.1177866. Abstract: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs have recently received … Continue reading
On March 7, 2016 the White House launched The Opportunity Project (United States Census Bureau, 2016), a collaboration with private companies to make the governmental data easily accessible and user-friendly. Of these 12, the PolicyMap Opportunity Tool, Open Data Network, and Community Commons are notable and have features for use by nearly any community in Kentucky. Learn more about these tools! Continue reading
