Friends of Midcoast Maine launches hands-on training programs

Tue, 09/30/2014 - 3:45pm

CAMDEN —  Friends of Midcoast Maine (FMM), a regional smart growth organization which helps communities with planning, community and economic development tools and initiatives and civic engagement, is launching a new program, The Community InstituteTM in October.

FMM Executive Director Jane Lafleur noted The Community Institute (TCI) is a natural evolution of the FMM workshops held in the past years. This program is a response to community member requests for more hands on training in community development and economic development strategies, and builds upon FMM's 14 year history of providing training and technical assistance in the region.

"The Community Institute will build strong places, communities and leaders through practical instruction on community and economic development with national technical expertise, field work and leadership development," said Lafleur.

TCI programs will revolve around a specific topic, and have leading state and national technical faculty to provide state-of-the-art material and to seed discussions. Each session will include field and hands-on work. Participants will shape the results and recommendations to meet local conditions and needs.

Lafleur noted that one significant feature of this program is that, "in addition to expertise on the technical aspects of a specific topic, The Community Institute will also provide leadership training so that at the conclusion of the program, participants will have the skills needed to apply the lessons learned."

Three TCI programs are scheduled for the coming months: the first "Streets, Places and People," is scheduled for October 30-31 in Camden. "This session will focus on how a community can shape its streets and places to be healthier for all, and will offer resources for a community to help it shape its own future," said Lafleur.

The second, "Multi-Generational Communities, Aging in Place," is planned for February 2015 in Lincoln County, and the third, "Downtowns and Locally Owned Businesses," is planned for April 2015. All sessions will involve local, regional and state-wide collaborating organizations and national and state faculty.

Each program is 1 1⁄2 days and, in addition to classroom discussion, map work and planning, TCI also includes outdoor fieldwork and depending, on the program topic, construction projects. Local partner organizations, including service clubs, youth groups, and municipal governments will be engaged in advance to assist in carrying out community building projects as appropriate. "Through this process, participants will have the opportunity to see a specific project move from the drawing board to a finished product," said Lafleur.

The TCI programs are designed to engage town and city staff, volunteers and grassroots leaders and all who are interested in improving their communities while maintaining their unique quality of place.

To learn more about TCI or to register for the October 31 program, or all three, visit www.communityinstitute.org. There is a charge for each participant. TCI also maintains a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thecommunityinstitute.

The Friends of Midcoast Maine is a non-profit, smart growth organization whose mission is to help communities identify and encourage opportunities for positive change in the Midcoast region by helping communities develop an effective voice for the protection of their natural and cultural legacy, while planning for healthy community growth.

To learn more about the Friends of Midcoast Maine and to sign up for a monthly e-newsletter, visit www.friendsmidcoast.org.