“Barre Up” Community Flood Recovery Discussion and Forums
Sept 13 | 5:30-9pm | Barre Opera House
Barre community members, organizations, and partners are invited to come together to participate in an open, inclusive dialogue to build understanding around flooding experiences and recovery and resilience efforts and begin to create ideas for action for the immediate and long-term future of the city. The evening, facilitated by VCRD, will start with a FREE pizza dinner in the Opera House lobby at 5:30pm, followed by a full community discussion at 6pm, and breakout forums at 7pm and 8pm. The forum topic areas include Housing, Long-Term Recovery and Resilience, Helping Efforts, Individual and Youth Wellness, Recovery Resources, and Natural Resources and Climate.
Find out more here: https://www.vtrural.org/barre-up/.
Vermont Community Leadership Summit Follow Up
We welcomed 450 people to our 4th Community Leadership Summit on August 15. Thank you to Senator Peter Welch, Josh Collier of Barn Opera, the Declaration of Inclusion awardees, and our wonderful panelists, moderators, presenters and participants for making it such a worthwhile and rejuvenating event. Visit our website for links to the list of speakers, sponsors, and participants: https://www.vtrural.org/summit/.
2023 Vermont Community Leadership Award Recipients
The Vermont Community Leadership Award is presented each year to celebrate Vermonters who exemplify “dedication, integrity and honorable service to community and to rural Vermont,” and who have had a “transformational” effect on their communities. VCRD presents the award to highlight the work of community heroes who epitomize the best spirit of local community service, who volunteer their time, and who have made their community better. This year, we presented the award at our Community Leadership Summit on August 15 to the four members of the Vermont Declaration of Inclusion initiative: Norm Cohen, Bob Harnish, Barbara Noyes Pulling, and Al Wakefield – all community members and residents of Rutland County. The Declaration raises awareness about systemic racism, the importance of diversity in contributing to the state’s economy, and the need to be proactive in signaling that Vermont is a welcoming place. You can find out more about their work here https://vtdeclarationofinclusion.org/.
Check out VCRD’s 2022 Annual Report for an overview of our initiatives in Community, Policy, Climate, and Leadership. Our work in 2022 also included the launch of the Youth Opportunity Initiative – a major statewide engagement effort that focuses on youth aspirations, community connections, and potential new ideas for strengthening the tie between youth aspiration and the opportunities in communities that grow out of the Vermont Proposition. See below for the dates of upcoming regional forums in Rutland County and the NEK.
Hosting the Partners for Rural America Conference
This week, VCRD is hosting the annual national conference of the Partners for Rural America (PRA), an association of State Rural Development Councils from around the country working to improve the quality of life in rural America. The goals of the PRA are to increase economic and social opportunities for rural citizens and to increase the viability of rural communities. VCRD hopes to learn new and effective strategies to support communities from these excellent partners and we'll share some successes we see in Vermont so they can learn from us.
Workshop: Local Community-Led Resilience Initiatives
September 19 | 10-11:30am | Virtual
Part of a series of conversations and workshops to help support communities as they recover from the recent catastrophic flooding. Join us for connection, peer networking, and learning. Register here.
Youth Opportunity Initiative Regional Forums
September 12 | 5:30- 7pm
The Hub | Rutland City
September 19 | 5:30-7pm
St. Johnsbury Academy | St. Johnsbury
These regional forums, taking place across the state, are a chance for people of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences to come together and share their ideas. We’ll be gathering feedback on a range of topics, including education, job training, community connection, youth voice, mentoring, and more. Your voice can help shape the future of programs and policy in Vermont, so don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference. Free pizza and desserts will be served.
Shelburne Forward Together Community Visit
September 28 | 6:30-9:00 PM
Shelburne Community School
Shelburne community members are coming together to advance priorities identified by the community in August. Attendees will help kick off the first meetings of local task force groups that will move their chosen priorities forward. All are welcome to attend the meeting and join a task force at the Shelburne Community School. Dinner and childcare provided. Learn more about the Shelburne Forward Together process at bit.ly/ShelburneTogether.
Vermont Council on Rural Development
9 Bailey Ave., PO Box 1384 Montpelier, VT 05601
(802) 223-6091 | https://www.vtrural.org | [email protected]