“I remember what it feels like to be out there and all alone,” said Vicki Luther, co-director of the Heartland Center. “To be frantically thumbing through the pages of notes and text books trying to come up with a way to deal with my next meeting. Or a problem committee member. Or whatever. And I’m thinking to myself, ‘Does this really work?’ When you’re a community development practitioner in an isolated rural area, most of the time you’re completely on your own!”

This snapshot of frustration was well-understood by 40 friends and associates of the Heartland Center who traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska, early in November to assist the Heartland Center with an innovative new project.

Passion and Practice in Rural Community Development will combine personal stories from successful practitioners with the techniques they have used in moving their communities forward.

The goal of the program is to advance peer learning among rural community practitioners. What makes this two-year project unique, however, is that the final product will be more than just another textbook. The project, funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, will also include an accompanying CD ROM, along with a web site and additional Internet resources. The creation and publication of these materials will take early form as an interactive “work in progress” in which subsequent chapters are posted on a web site. Visitors will be invited to comment, make suggestions, or offer additional stories that illustrate the lessons learned.

The first phase of the project was launched November 2-4 when 40 community development practitioners representing 16 states met with Heartland Center associates for a weekend of reflection and storytelling. Participants were chosen based on their diverse backgrounds and locations, but each person, along with their stories of success, was well known to the Heartland Center.

Discussions focused on a list of potential textbook chapters. Throughout these facilitated sessions, a video production crew from the Center for Rural Strategies, based in Kentucky, recorded interviews with each participant. Together, the group discussions and personal stories provide a wealth of practical information and personal insight into our work as community developers. When the project is complete, rural practitioners will have a resource that includes an easy-to-use textbook, plus a companion CD that provides “virtual mentors” for each of the chapters’ main concepts.

Before departing the gathering, Passion and Practice participants gathered for a final work session to discuss next steps for this project as well as additional topic areas for investigation and dissemination. After more than 30 hours of discussion, reflection and filming, most people agreed that they wish they had had even more time to continue conversations.

The Heartland Center is grateful for the generous contribution of time and energy from these dedicated individuals. We are certain their knowledge and experience will be a welcome resource for rural community developers everywhere - especially when we find ourselves out there and all alone, hoping what we do will work.