For additional information:

Initiatives of the Community Collaborative, Inc.

The Community Collaborative takes on initiatives as proposed and developed by the membership base, to further our mission. In some cases, initiatives are administered by member programs, and in other cases, programs are coordinated by the Community Collaborative. Past and present initiatives include Sustainable Communities Training Program, Community Fellows, and the Leadership Network.

Learn about our current initiatives by visiting the links below:

• Sustainable Communities Training Program;
• Community Fellows Program;
• Leadership Network;
• Customized training programs as requested.

You can also download our latest newsletter.

Sustainable Communities Training Program

The Community Collaborative, Inc., has been providing leadership training as an organization for ten years. Additionally, member organizations and representatives have developed and implemented many leadership and community capacity building programs. Notably, the Collaborative provides a program of county leadership, team and capacity building to interested communities in West Virginia. The program, Sustainable West Virginia Communities Program, funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, consists of six sequential interactive training sessions approximately two days in length.

Vaughn Grisham's Community Actualization Pyramid provides the framework for the curriculum of the Sustainable Communities Training Program:

The Collaborative uses a unique training framework and design that blends presentations, peer exchange, group process, networking and local site visits into a holistic learning experience. Each training session is designed to encourage substantial peer learning and collaborative networking. Sessions are informal and are structured to provide maximum flexibility to the participants during the training schedule. Specialized follow-up training was also provided to communities based upon their priorities. Small project mini-grants are also made available to support specific, locally determined activities. As part of its continuing commitment to the community, the Collaborative monitors project activities and will facilitate additional specialized technical assistance to communities as needed.

Outcomes for communities include building a critical mass of leaders to complete the projects to further their community's economic development goals. Using the team approach, groups of people coalesce and are able to get things done like never before. Negotiation and collaboration skills gained allow communities to build business. The energy derived from participation expands civic engagement as community leaders take home what they've learned.

To learn more, you can download an article about the 2005-06 participant communities in this program.

back to top

Community Fellows Program

Beginning in 1997 the Collaborative, through one of its partner agencies, the West Virginia University Cooperative Extension Service, also designed the WV Community Fellows Program. This initiative is the first of its type in West Virginia and is designed to combine training, a visiting lecture series and a community project practicum experience for eight community leaders throughout West Virginia. The second year program concluded in the Spring of 1999.

 The goals of the Community Fellows Program are:

• to increase knowledge and connection between community planning and development organizations and West Virginia University;
• to provide intellectual resources, through research and analysis, to community based planning and development;
• to broaden the knowledge and skills of community organizational leaders;
• to enrich WVU student learning with practical experiences of community leaders; and
• to encourage dialogue among community planners and developers in different sectors.

back to top

The Leadership Network

In October of 2003, the Community Collaborative partnered with Appalachian Regional Commission, the West Virginia Development Office, and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to convene a Leadership Symposium. Over two years, the Leadership Network evolved as a group of leadership development program providers which see many benefits to leveraging resources and communicating regularily. Members in the network have the common mission to increase leadership capacity in West Virginia.

The Collaborative continues to offer structure and support to the members as they work toward their goals to:

1. Develop and coordinate a communication system to effectively increase the program capacity of member organizations.
   
   
2. Advance member program participation through public awareness.
   
   
3. Construct and consider common definitions, standards, and evaluation tools.
   

Download a listing of Leadership Network members as a Microsoft Excel file.

Customized Training Programs

The Collaborative has also developed and provided customized community training programs in the areas of community development and community organizing for specific organizational clients, including the Governor's Cabinet on Children and Families and the West Virginia Commission on National and Community Service. In November, 1999, the Collaborative designed and delivered a two-day EZ/EC Community Leadership and Board Development workshop for 12 community teams from Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia for the Appalachian Regional Commission.

back to top