CAPACITY BUILDING

• Mac Brown, Jan Coyne, Karen Holt, and Courtney Tobin participated in the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development’s inaugural Work Ready Region Academy at Stone Mountain on March 18, presenting information on mapped regional assets, such as educational institutions, companies in various sectors selected by regional teams, and transportation networks. The seven multi-county regions will continue to meet in the Academy for the next eighteen months.

EXPLORATION

• The Fanning Institute, in collaboration with Georgia Tech, held four forums with young people as part of the Southern Growth Policies Board 2008 issue: Youth: The Real Future of the South. Two of the forums involved regional 4-H leaders meeting at Rock Eagle; the other two were for Junior Achievement groups in metro Atlanta and Savannah. The forums examined attitudes about workforce readiness and the participants’ involvement in extracurricular activities, volunteer service, and community engagement. The results from the forums as well as an on-line survey will be compiled in Georgia’s report for the SGPB, and will be incorporated into the annual report to be presented at the SGPB conference in Little Rock in June. Fanning faculty involved in this effort include Leigh Askew, Danny Bivins, Jan Coyne, Louise Hill, Langford Holbrook, and Karen Holt, with assistance from Amanda McKasson.

• Faculty from the Fanning Institute and the Carl Vinson Institute made a presentation to community, business and faith leaders in Columbus on March 12 on community approaches to combating poverty. Matt Bishop, Kelly Foster, Karen Holt and Courtney Tobin updated data from an eight county community needs assessment conducted by faculty from both institutions several years ago and discussed options for developing a strategic plan for the region.

• Rob Williams assisted the Association County Commissioners of Georgia’s Board of Directors with the development of their first strategic planning process in more than ten years.
  
  

ENGAGING COMMUNITIES

• OneAthens held its final meeting on March 31st, unveiling strategies for reducing Athens’ 31% poverty rate. Action will be taken within sixty days on several key programs: affordable housing, public transportation, teen pregnancy and health care. The founders (and PPA co-convenors) – UGA, the Athens-Clarke County government and school district, the Athens Chamber of Commerce, Family Connection and a coalition of black community leaders – now face the task of following through on these recommendations. Sandy Christopher, Delene Porter and Joe Whorton continue to be heavily involved in this effort, and for this meeting with 600 participants, were assisted by Debbie Allen, Jessica Garris Miller, Janet Rechtman, and Pam Ward.