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In week six of this series, let’s explore number 5 of the 7 C’s—“common purpose.”

This group value in the social change model involves working with shared aims and values for the greater good of society as a whole. It helps a group take a deep look at the issues at hand and the actions they should take to resolve those issues, creating a sense of direction for their work. Recognizing the common purpose and mission of the group helps create the level of trust needed for successful collaboration. In our music metaphor, the common purpose is the song.

In week five of this series, let’s explore number 4 of the 7 C’s—Collaboration.

For 15 years, Cody Lawson has been running his own computer repair company in Central City. But if you ask him, he isn’t running a computer company at all.

“We’re not tech support; we’re people support,” Lawson said. “It all goes back to the customer experience and making sure they’re taken care of.”

Water is the lifeblood for many rural communities, yet more than half of the United States is currently experiencing drought conditions. While water usage varies — from residential needs to irrigation and livestock demands — many communities’ access to clean, dependable water is threatened by changing land management and climate.

In week four of this series, let’s explore the third of the 7 C’s—“commitment.”

Another of the individual values in the social change model, commitment is defined as the energy and motivation to serve. Commitment implies that you have passion for a goal or project and are willing to see it through to the end. It involves investment of time and physical and mental energy in the leadership development process.

The Nebraska Cooperative Development Center has teamed up with the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association to host the inaugural Grocery Industry Summit in Kearney on Thursday, Aug. 24. The free summit is designed for attendees to learn about, discuss and address the many challenges facing the grocery industry today. 

In week three of this series, let’s explore the second of the 7 C’s, “congruence.”

Another of the individual values in the social change model, congruence means “thinking, feeling, and behaving with consistency, genuineness, authenticity and honesty towards others.”

I have spent a lot of time in this column talking about communities . . . but I don’t think I’ve ever explained what I mean when I say, “community.”

As a definition, I like this one from the University of Minnesota Extension program:

"Community, in its most basic definition, can be defined as individuals who share a common interest, background or purpose that gives them a sense of cohesion."

In week two of this series, let’s look at the first of the 7 C’s, “consciousness of self.”

This is simply paying attention to your talents, interests and dreams, as well as the beliefs, values, attitudes and emotions that motivate your actions. As one of the individual values in the social change model, developing this trait can help you prepare yourself to work more effectively with others.

In this series of articles, I’d like to introduce you to the Social Change Model of Leadership Development and the “7 C’s.” This model of leadership development defines leadership as a process to create change that will help other people. It was developed in 1993 by the Higher Education Research Institute of the University of California Los Angeles to encourage service projects and guide hands-on learning experiences for students. Most of the content for these articles will come from UCLA’s guidebook on the subject.

Ten Nebraska communities are saying goodbye later this month to a cohort of university students who have lived and worked among their residents this summer. July marks the end of the 10th season of the Rural Fellows, a program run through the university’s Rural Prosperity Nebraska initiative that places interns in rural communities. To commemorate this milestone, the Rural Fellows team will host a virtual celebration on July 28. 

It’s an uncommon experience to walk into a grocery store and feel at home. But that’s exactly the atmosphere Amparito’s Market in Lincoln is striving for. On the outside, the market looks like any other grocery store. But when you walk down the aisles, you notice that few of the products originate in the United States.

“Amparito’s Market is something that we wanted to bring into Lincoln to provide connection,” said Raul Sarmiento Jr., son of owner Raul Sarmiento. “A connection, because customers can find here what they can find in their home countries.”

In 2019 renovation began on the Blue Star Memorial Highway (Highway 83), which runs through Valentine. Capitalizing on their Main Street being under construction, the city decided to modernize its downtown in conjunction with the overhaul. To help with this project, they turned to Rural Prosperity Nebraska’s newest Extension educator at the time, Jenny Nixon. Little did Nixon know that Valentine would be her first and last community development project.

Festival and Fair season is here! In the world of Extension, that means that each office is working very hard to prepare for 4-H’s role in county fairs. We are gathering volunteers, getting kids signed up, holding workshops, and we’re all freaking out a little bit . . . or sometimes a lot!

I have been busy during the last couple of months doing advocacy for Extension. What does that mean? Well, it means I have traveled to Lincoln and Washington D.C. to speak with legislators about Nebraska Extension and our county commissioners. It really isn’t a hard job to ask for support for Nebraska Extension. With offices in almost every county and a long history of important research and programs delivered to the public, nearly everyone has heard of Extension and has had good experiences with them.

A growing number of Nebraska school districts are sourcing ingredients for their school meals from local farmers.

In a state like Nebraska, that makes sense, said Jordan Rasmussen, an Extension educator with Rural Prosperity Nebraska. But as much as the farm-to-school movement is a logical extension of the state’s robust ag economy, it’s also a holistic approach to improving Nebraska’s communities.

“Not only does it address a community’s physical health, but also economic, educational and social health,” Rasmussen said.

Jennifer Lester Moffitt, under secretary of agriculture for marketing and regulatory programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, visited the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s East Campus on May 23 to participate in a roundtable discussion on the $25 million grant awarded to Rural Prosperity Nebraska to create the Heartland Regional Food Business Center.

Rural Prosperity Nebraska will kick off the 10th season of its Rural Fellows internship program next month. Beginning June 5, 21 students will live in 10 rural communities across the state, working on community development projects that range from public health to downtown creative arts districts.

Valentine will show off its newly renovated Main Street when community leaders and business professionals come to the city to attend the fifth annual Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) Conference June 8-9. Hosted by Rural Prosperity Nebraska in a different community each year, the two-day event features workshops, seminars, and keynote lectures focused on all things community development, from entrepreneurial environments to tourism enhancement.