CDP/COCO and URL Radio

We formed this partnership to highlight our COCO members, HTC Communities, and Community Development Events. The contract runs from 4/1/10 to 4/1/11 and with 2 call-ins a week – one on Morning Show and one on Shake It Up with Molly and Martini on Wednesday nights, Facebook and Twitter mentions, and links from their website!

This radio station can be listened to anywhere where the internet can be accessed, just visit www.URLradio.net. They have been listened to in 49 states and 84 countries! You can even hear past shows as they have podcasts available on their website and podbean.com.

We are featuring owners Nicole Morrison-Mathern and Stacy Sturm at the 10th Annual Strom Conference “Insights 2010” on April 22 at the Days Hotel. We are excited that they will be our keynote luncheon speakers!

Either Julie or Amanda will be on at 9:00am MST on Monday Mornings and a representative from the nonprofit or the featured community will be on Wednesday Evening at 7:30pm. April 5 will be the kick-off show. Be sure to tune in early that day as they are starting at 8:30 MST with Stacy Sturm’s morning show.

Community Field Day Successes

We held Community Field Day on October 20, 2009 on the Dickinson State University Campus. The day consisted of 4 panels—leadership, resources for development, entrepreneurship, and youth. These topics opened doors for communicating and networking on issues that relate to sustaining strategies for communities.

What are people saying about the day?

The Strom Center’s Community Field Day was a terrific way to connect some of North Dakota’s greatest community resources and dedicated leaders. Community Field Day offered a multi-dimensional look at issues facing our communities. The shared stories of trials, collaboration and success were both instructional and inspirational. It was great to interact with active leaders who walk the walk. We all know success in our communities is dependent upon the collaboration of the many parts…….and you provided a forum that truly adhered to this concept I’ll be back next year.
Shannon Schweigert
GivingPoint/Giving Magazine– Principal
Fargo, ND

Community Field Day was a fun and educational day. The panel discussions were a smorgasbord of projects and ideas to absorb. Hearing individual testimonies about how each entity approached their challenges and overcame difficulties really gave each of us encouragement and new exuberance towards our own community projects. The enthusiasm for each person’s community or personal project was contagious.
Kathy Miller
North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame –Manager
Medora, ND

Community Field Day was a great venue for sharing and celebrating the stories in our communities. A day of learning from one another, sharing resources and networking. For me, the day reaffirmed the importance of networking and collaborating as rural communities. We heard testimony on a variety of community successes, issues and concerns and through that discussion discovered a continued positive spirit in our communities, who- though often faced with some rather interesting barriers – continue to press on.
I watched in amazement as the Leadership Panel opened the floor for questions, addressed some delicate issues happening in one of our small towns, determined our local leadership was often unprepared for public conflict, and immediately began implementing additional education for RLND participants in conflict management skills! A whole room conversation between panelists, facilitator and attendees. Wow – problem identification – discussion – solution – implementation – all in one morning!!
Ray Ann Kilen
Small Business Development Center–Regional Director
Dickinson, ND

These successful conversations happened because of the panelists and attendees that came to talk about building social capital and community.

Watch for other stories that we were able to capture at Community Field Day!

Amanda Lynn Moser
Community Development Project Coordinator
Strom Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Community Field Day: Showcasing Community Development Successes

As rural communities are challenged to sustain and grow, we’ve created a forum to share how some communities are capacity building!

The Strom Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, with support from Dickinson State University, is hosting a Community Field Day held at the Dickinson State University Student Center on October 20, 2009 from 9:30-4:30 (MST).

This will be a great time to find out what is working in other rural communities and provide the opportunity to network with those interested in community growth.

The key areas that will be highlighted by panel discussions are youth, leadership, entrepreneurship, and charitable giving (or Resources for Development). Each area will have a panel of at least 3 speakers to talk about their project, program, or community.

The day will feature community development success stories from the region including—Dickinson, Medora, Bowman, Williston, Standing Rock Reservation, Killdeer, Bismarck, Stanton, AND others.

If you are interested in being a part of this day, you can set up a booth/display to share information about your community or organization, Please contact Amanda Lynn Moser at amanda.moser@dickinsonstate.edu to request space. 

 Watch for additional info, including early bird registration and a list of panel projects!

Medora Uses HTC to Build a Stronger Community

Medora, North Dakota, shines in the HomeTown Competitiveness (HTC) Program. This community has stood out in North Dakota for various reasons. The scenery, the entertainment options, and their golf are just a few things that put the community in the spotlight. As Medora begins the tourism season, the town is planning internal actions that are worthy of attention. Medora has decided to use their HTC funding to create Community Days 2009. This two-day agenda will include a day of socializing and team building and a day to listen to nationally accredited speaker, Boaz Rauchwerger.

Last fall, community representatives recognized how the population is very tied up in their individual work. This has developed a strong base of community assets but hasn’t allowed for building relationships among the population. The HTC Medora committee decided to create an agenda that was strictly for the residents and allowed people to get to know each other on a more personal level. The events are two separate days and will be held at locations that are of interest to the community. Life-changing speaker, Boaz Rauchwerger, will speak at the newly renovated Roughrider Hotel. The second event, the Community Ropes Day will be held at Badlands Ministries, which houses a team building ropes course and has recently moved to a new, beautiful location. The Ropes Day will have residents on the high and low ropes, singing camp songs, and mingling in a way that hasn’t been available before.

The participation in these events demonstrate the commitment Medora has to a sense of community, which will add further to the Medora experience that thousands of people come to see each year.

For more information about this event, contact Amanda.Moser@dickinsonstate.edu

Amanda Lynn Moser
HTC Project Coordinator

Three High Ropes Certified

Three Strom Center staff members are now High Ropes Level 1 Certified. Jeanne MacDonald, Amanda Moser, and myself (Kim Hayes) attended the High Ropes Training May 19-21, 2009 which was held at the Badlands Ministries High Ropes Course just South of Medora, North Dakota.

Throughout our three days of intense training we learned not only how to facilitate but we also learned what it’s like to be a participant. We also learned the safety management and technical skills necessary to lead the High Ropes Program.

The Badlands Ministries High Ropes Course consists of 6 elements/obstacles which are all approximately 30-40 feet above the ground. We participated in all 6 elements of the High Ropes course, including the Dangling Duo, Multivine, Power Pole, & Zip Line. Each element was done with a partner in a specific sequence to build trust and strengthen relationships.

We became certified in High Ropes so we can offer these services to any businesses, organizations, or groups who would like to build a better team. Jeanne and I will work closely with our area to take any interested groups through the program, while Amanda plans to use this program to engage the members of the communities her HTC program works with (ie: Bowman, Dickinson, Hettinger, Killdeer, Medora, MHA Nation, & Williston). The goal of taking groups through the High Ropes Course is to develop high performance teams in the workplace through the transition of what is learned on the course.

To sign up for the High Ropes Course or for more information call me, Jeanne, or Amanda at the Strom Center at (701) 483-2756.

Kim Hayes
Talent Initiative Assistant
Strom Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

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