"Spotlight On Leadership And Poverty" Workshops In Central And Eastern Montana

2006-09-22 08:30:00

Many Locations from 9/22 through 10/4

Contact: Dan Clark (406)994-1754; [email protected]

MSU Extension is inviting citizens from small towns in Central and Eastern Montana to attend free "Spotlight on Leadership and Poverty" workshops in Whitehall, Harlowton, Columbus, Crow Agency-Sept 28, Miles City-Oct 3 and Culbertson- Oct 4.

Montana State University Extension is seeking involvement from small towns in Central and Eastern Montana to participate in a program designed to build community capacity to address critical local issues.

The Horizons community leadership program, made possible by a grant through the Northwest Area Foundation, begins this fall with one-day "Spotlight on Leadership and Poverty" workshops in six host locations: Harlowton, Columbus, Crow Agency, Miles City, Culbertson and Whitehall. At the "Spotlight" sessions, community members from these and adjacent areas can preview the resources for leadership and poverty reduction that will be offered through the 18-month Horizons program.

The program uses established community educators like MSU Extension’s Horizons program director, Dan Clark, to guide participants through a hands-on strategic process designed to empower people to team up, rise to leadership, envision a prosperous future and take action to make it happen. Clark was an MSU Extension agent in Teton County and mayor of the city of Choteau before assuming the leadership of Montana’s Horizons program.

Extension is prepared to work with as many as 25 such communities in Central and Eastern Montana through the Horizons program, said Clark.

To apply to become a Horizons community, towns must have fewer than 5,000 residents, a poverty rate greater than 10 percent as reported by the 2000 Census, and must have a core group of citizens who attended a Spotlight event, he said.

After representatives from a qualified community attend an introductory Spotlight workshop, they may apply to participate further in the program. Towns that complete the entire Horizons program are eligible to apply for grant funds toward implementing the action plan they forge during the process.

"No restrictions apply to attending the free "Spotlight on Leadership and Poverty" events themselves," Clark added. "All registrants are welcome."

"We want to give everyone who lives in a small town a chance to participate in valuable, practical learning from what we think is some of the most interesting information about leadership, poverty reduction and community-building available," he said.

The “Spotlight” events will be hosted on the following dates at these locations:

Sept. 22 — Whitehall, Assembly of God Church, 6 First St. East
Sept. 26 — Harlowton, National Guard Armory
Sept. 27 — Columbus, Stillwater County Fairgrounds Community Pavilion
Sept. 28 — Crow Agency, Little Big Horn College, Student Union Building
Oct. 3 — Miles City, Miles City Community College, Room 106
Oct. 4 — Culbertson, Town Hall, 208 Broadway

The "Spotlight" events, which are free and open to the public, run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with breakfast and lunch included for registered participants. For information or registration, call (406) 994-1750, or e-mail [email protected] by Sept. 20 for September events; Sept. 29 for October events.

This story is available on the MSU web at: http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=3988