New "Field Guide" Web Site for CD Practitioners

The Heartland Center is in the midst of an exciting program to help rural development practitioners work more effectively in their communities. When completed, the Field Guide for Community Building will have three components–a book, an accompanying CD and a web site. All three tools are based on seven key topic areas:

Forming a representative group
Developing group capacity
Identifying issues and setting goals
Vision to action
Accessing all types of resources
Measuring success
Next steps in capacity building

The web site has already been created. It combines stories from practitioners across the nation, suggestions for activities, and a variety of techniques and troubleshooting solutions for community practitioners and volunteers. When you visit www.heartlandfieldguide.info you will find the following features:

Field Stories features video and audio clips from stories told by experienced community builders who share their successes, adventures and learning experiences.

Our Community Building Question gives you a chance to share your experience with the Heartland Center, as well as practitioners around the world. Our first topic is "How to Form a Representative Group "while working on a community project. Please check in and share a story of your own!

Resources is your link to numerous other organizations and worthwhile sites that may help you in your own community building efforts.

Member Forum is the Heartland Center's connection to the community development practitioners who have participated in this project and are helping with the new printed publication and CD, which will be available in 2003.

We hope you'll drop in from time to time over the next year as we explore key issues for community building practitioners. This project is funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.