Rural Empowerment & Development Program

Rural Empowerment & Development Program

Program Summary

The Rural Empowerment and Development program, or RED, is a capacity-building and planning initiative created by the Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana Communities Institute at Ball State University.

Successful communities attribute their progress to leadership, readiness for change, vision, partnerships, planning and community engagement. RED is intended to support communities in building capacity in these areas by expanding previous efforts and incorporating new innovations to provide hands-on, relevant and productive experiences. It’s designed for communities ready to increase their ability to achieve their vision for development through local collaboration. In addition, the program is designed to build off the collaborative efforts of organizations and counties that have already developed a Stellar Pathways team.

RED begins with an intensive multi-day learning experience and continues over several months with coaching from ICI. Throughout this process, the community will develop and refine a vision and community engagement plan. Communities will work with ICI to analyze data about their community, review existing plans, then plan and take action to identify issues, opportunities and solutions.

Program Structure

RED is a comprehensive program designed to enhance community engagement and implement actionable projects. Each participating local team will undergo a four- to six-month program tailored to their specific needs.

The initiative begins with a two-day Community Development Training provided by the Ball State’s ICI, equipping participants with essential skills and knowledge. This two-day training will be hosted by the local team. During this session, participants will learn state-of-the-art concepts and practical techniques. Each local team will receive a comprehensive data package to provide a clear overview of its community’s current landscape. During this initial training, ICI will coach the local team analyzing and discussing the comprehensive data package and plan review.

This training will be followed by a Launch Pad event to identify key issues, opportunities and potential solution paths for the community.

Following the training and Launch Pad event, each local team will receive individualized coaching from ICI. Coaching will focus on enhancing engagement strategies and refining the processes regarding project selection and prioritization. This enables the community to sustain its developmental efforts and continue to apply their experience.

Throughout the program, participants in each community/county will identify and develop between five and 15 actionable projects. Each project team will have guidance and coaching to ensure successful implementation. Furthermore, an additional complex project will be selected for study or a facilitated Solutions Charrette to tackle the project’s more challenging issues. This comprehensive approach allows communities to address immediate needs while building long-term capacity for sustained growth and development.