The purpose of this curriculum is to provide a step-by-step process for organizing and conducting a community-based initiative for revitalizing and re-building local capacity; one that is guided by the principles of creative thinking and leads to sustainable development.
For Extension Agents that are New to Community Development: The curriculum is quite extensive providing step by step instructions, research tools, and a series of activities for each phase. The process is interactive; each activity builds a foundation for the next step.
For Community Development Specialists: This curriculum incorporates techniques and strategies that will seem familiar. You may find yourself thinking, “I already do this in my work.” This was intentional. We wanted to weave into this curriculum those Guiding Principles used by successful development specialists, which are often learned only through experience.
Adaptable Curriculum: The curriculum recognizes that each community will have their unique challenges and there is no one cookie-cutter solution or process for building community capacity. We have attempted to create a curriculum that is adaptable to different issues and will provide the inspiration to think out-of-the-box.
N.C. Cooperative Extension’s unique role in "'Empowering People . . . Providing Solutions” positions it to be a powerful catalyst for this work. Extension has the local relationships and tie to the Land-grant university system to build partnerships that leverage resources to meet the needs of the state and local community. This work will result in a better quality of life, and will create and strengthen jobs, businesses, and industries.
