Kendrick and Juliaetta, ID

Someone told me it was my turn again to answer the weekly question when I had time. (I have no time.) 

Reflective Questions:
• Looking back, what is one (or more) skill or leadership trait you have developed from participating in Horizons (maybe from Study Circles or LeadershipPlenty or from the hands on work going on in your communities right now)? How has participation in the program changed you? What about your community? Are there specific examples of things happening in your community that wouldn’t have happened without Horizons?
• Bonus reflective question: How has the blogging experienced affected you? (please edit any inappropriate language, hahaha trust me, I feel your pain!!)

pineappleprincess - I already answered most of this question months ago. As for what would not have happened without Horizons - my mom’s dream of Pug Marks may have always remained a dream. Bonus Answer: The blogging experience  has affected me in a couple of ways. I have started a new blog (Tiger Talk) for youth or anyone else who wants to blog. I also know enough to teach people how to blog.

Here is the old post -

It Has Broadened My Horizons! 

January 19th, 2008 by pineappleprincess

~ by Josi K. McConnell-Soong When the Horizons program, which focuses on poverty and how to help eliminate it from our community, first came to  Kendrick-Juliaetta, I volunteered to be a facilitator for the study circles. That had me going to St. Marie’s to a training on how to facilitate in a productive way. I helped facilitate a study circle group that was a mix of adults and teens. It was great hearing everyone’s ideas and opinions on what is good (a lot!) and what needs to be improved in our community to help eliminate poverty.A few months after the facilitator training I had an opportunity to be one of three people sent to a three day leadership training provided by Horizons. It was an awesome training. I made a lot of new friends from other communities in our area , a few even my age. I came away from that training a certified Leadership Plenty Trainer and feeling that Connie Reid and Amy Lynne are two awesome ladies and I am glad to consider them friends.  We were able to train new leaders in our community with the skills we learned.My involvement in Horizons has given me an opportunity to meet some of the most active and caring citizens of our community and to get to know better the great citizens I already knew. When given the chance to work with caring, motivated adults it is not at all boring as some teens might think. It is really great to have people want to know my opinion and really care what it is. I would encourage any teen or young adult to try to become more involved in our community. The “Live News Letter” meetings at 6:00pm the third Thursday of the month would be a good place to start. At the “Live News Letter” an overview of what is happening in the community is given and a chance to find out what projects are being developed to help make our community even better.

There are more trainings coming up that may be of interest. Trainings are usually intended for anyone in our community that is interested. Most of the trainings are free of charge, and the expenses of the ones that cost can often be paid or partially paid by funds available through the Horizons program.

In addition to Facilitator Training and Leadership Plenty Training, I have also been trained to blog and to teach others how to blog. I can help others set up their own blog and learn to navigate through their blog site. And of course, this blog is always looking for anyone that would like to add articles of community interest.

On February 9th I will attend another training. This one is Ruby Payne Framework for Understanding Poverty. This workshop discusses how individuals in poverty think and act differently than those people in the middle and upper economic classes.

I would also like to attend a workshop on Feb 5th - New Board Member Orientation - understand the fundamentals of operating as an effective governing body. I hope to be an active participant in our new community service group “Pug Marks” and the information from this workshop could help me be better prepared.

 All these opportunities are available to anyone in our community. You just need the interest in increasing your knowledge. Hopefully that new knowledge can be used to help others and I am sure what I have learned will help me not only now, but in my future.

Scavenger Hunt Question:
• Which of the Idaho Horizons community blogs has information about April being Child Abuse Awareness month? This website also provides information about Youth Suicide Prevention.

pineappleprincess - The community is… Silver Valley

Our new counter that is static makes me ecstatic. But, I want to know where our calendar is??? And how about the ability to put pictures in the header that are personal to our actual community? If other states within the Horizons program funded by the Northwest Area Foundation can do it, why can’t we? Different rules? Laziness on the part of those in charge of the blogs? Or just poor training of the bloggers?

I am still convinced that the blog can become a wonderful communication tool for those who have internet access. It can be a place to find out what is, and was, happening in the community. But, we need the ability to make it ours.

Despite my belly-aching and disappointments with my blogging limitations, I truly do know that those implementing the program are struggling to meet someone else’s demands. It is a thankless job, but it is a job they get paid to do. I am sure some days, and especially some people (like me), make them wonder if it is all worth it. Let me assure them that it is. I am speaking particularly to Mary, Debbie, and MJ. They have never been anything but nice when we have talked. I want and expect more than nice at times, but nice is good, very good.  And, I have seen them nearly as frustrated as me at times.

I am very happy to be the proud blogger to be able to bring the Kendrick-Juliaetta and 7 Ridges Horizons some excellent resources through my persistence. Or maybe it was a bit of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). And, then again, it could have been just plain stupidity for not having read the question correctly in the first place. Whatever made it possible, I will gladly receive the books for our community.

I will now have to quit blogging, because my identity has been revealed to all…..Oh, well…… I am willing to stand behind my words. And honestly, you will have to do more than reveal my identity to get me to go away, like maybe convince the other trained bloggers to blog?

Tonight, April 23, 2008 – 7:00 p.m. — Kendrick Grange Hall

• Meet the Sheriff
  • Express  your community concerns
  • Learn the reality of the law
  • Develop a partnership
• Refreshments

Meet Your Sheriff at an informal question and answer forum.  The Latah County Sheriff and prosecuting attorney as well as the Nez Perce County Sheriff will be available to listen to your concerns and share the realities of crime and punishment with you TONIGHT!, April 23, 2008 at 7:00 pm at the Kendrick Grange Hall.  Learn how safe we can make our community.  Refreshments will be served. The event is being provided by the Kendrick Grange.

Reflective Questions:

• What’s next in Horizons for your community? Are your Action Teams planning activities in the next 2 months? How do those activities relate to the 3 legs of Horizons: Poverty reduction, Leadership Development and Community Mobilization?

mountainmama: Our community is going to keep up the good work that has been started through the push Horizons has given us.

The Community Communications Action Team will publish their 4th newsletter that is mailed to every postal customer in the Kendrick-Juliaetta and 7 Ridges community. The response has been good to the newsletter from people wanting to include information for it. This time we are going to make a concerted effort to get feedback on what those receiving it think about it. We are going to take personal polls and report back to the Team what we find out. We are also checking with businesses to see if they think it is valuable enough to support through sponsorship. We are determined to continue it if it is viewed as a good communication tool.

The Bridge Builders are starting to step back from Pug Marks CSI a little and let it operate with its new Board of Directors (adults) and Advisory Board (youth). Pug Marks CSI applyed for and received non profit status from the State of Idaho. We are finalizing our by laws in preparation for filing for 501(c)(3) status. Without the help of the Bridge Builders Action Team this community service group would still just be a dream of mine. Bridge Builders has plans to do a Foxfire type project of having youth interview people in the community and publish in some form the resulting stories. They are also currently partnering with ACTION to bring training to our community on intergenerational communication and on how established groups in the community can make youth a part of their program.

The Leadership Development Action Team has also been instrumental in the start up of Pug Marks Community Service Incorporated. The service projects and random acts of kindness planned by the group all need a project leader. Leadership Development is helping to insure that those leaders have the skills they need.

The Economic Development Action Team has been very active in promoting our community by organizing monthly sales highlighting our antique stores, the Grange sale, and new bakery. They are attempting to feature artists in the future. They are also working with the established Farmer’s Market to provide more on Saturdays starting on May 10. They are looking for people or groups interested in providing an activity or demonstration during market hours. Musicians would be welcomed. Buying some banners and signs is on the agenda for the very near future.

Through the efforts of each of these Action Teams people in the community are being kept better informed and better served. The Community Newsletter lets everyone know what is going on and what is new in the community. The Bridge Builders continue to work at bridging the gap between young and old and through them Pug Marks CSI was made possible. Pug Marks’ latest service project had 6 adults and approximately 14 youth working together sweeping the sidewalks of Kendrick. (Juliaetta had 3 adults and 2 youth sweep there last month.) By advertising in the Money Saver, the Economic Development Team has brought traffic into town. And Leadership Development is making it possible for those who have never taken a leadership role to have the skills and support to make them successful.

Scavenger Hunt Question:

• Let’s broaden our scavenger hunt world a little… Of the other Horizons states, which one has interesting information about using Chicken Tractors to help maintain community gardens? Check out the link section of the Idaho Horizons Blog that lists the blog addresses for Montana, NorthDakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa Horizons. Feel free to explore and be inspired by other community groups just like yours!

mountainmama: So, upon finally getting to South Dakota, I reread the question and saw that possibly there was a hint in the phrase “Of the other Horizons states, which one“. But then the assignment ends with “explore and be inspired by other community groups just like yours” making me think the answer would be within one of the community blogs. I spent 4 hours and 15 minutes last night on the search, hence my less than sweet post (see below) in the wee hours of the day. This morning I started the search again, using the methodical method of starting at the top of the list under Idaho on the www.communityblog.us site. So I went from Allerton, IA, to Alta, IA, and then on to Bedford. Instead of waiting for each site to s—–l——-o———–w————–l———-y load while doing nothing, I brought up another page and started to work on Minnesota Horizons communities alternately. As slow as last night was, it was a dream compared to today. My computer crashed 4 times in the first hour and a half, then as I found interesting entries I was putting them on a word document. When I tried to save them my computer decided for the first time ever not to let me save. I couldn’t even ”save as” and put it on a thumb drive. Well, after more than 6 more hours of searching I had finally finished looking at Wolf Point, MT (which has actually never blogged) and was already on Rolette, ND (their 3rd post was titled “Pictures! I rmember how to do it!” I can relate even this many months later). I knew my search was almost over!!! I then clicked on South Dakota, and right there at the top of the state blog site was the answer. I decided to check to see what Estelline, SD had to say about “chicken tractors”. Guess what? Nowhere in the Estelline blog is there any mention of chicken tractors. The assignment seems to me to have been a little misleading.

The short answer: SD

Hello Kendrick-Juliaetta and 7 Ridges citizens,

  It continues to be a challenge to ensure that people who have an interest in Kendrick-Juliaetta opportunities know about them.  This is a heads up to three upcoming free and “family friendly” events  which will provide food for thought, food for the body, and/or food for enjoyment of the arts and our community.  All that is needed on your part is your attendance.

• Thursday April 17, 2008 — 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. — Kendrick Sr. Center
  • Meal
  • “Bridging the Generational Gap” informational program
  • Live Newsletter Community Sharing
  • Horizon’s Community break out group committees

• Monday April 21, 2008 – 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. — Juliaetta Community Library
  • Arbor Day — Family Reading Week — Poetry Month — Celebration involving:
    • readings,
    • story telling,
    • music,
    • youth poetry exhibits,
    • displays
    • and food all with a tree theme

• Wednesday April 23, 2008 – 7:00 p.m. — Kendrick Grange Hall
  • Meet the Sheriff
    • Express  your community concerns
    • Learn the reality of the law
    • Develop a partnership
  • Refreshments

More information on each of these events is available on the Kendrick-Juliaetta Arts Commissions home page web site http://kjarts.info .  I apologize IF this is repeated information for you.  I hope to see you soon—-

Chris Kowrach

A.C.T.I.O.N. member

Communicating Beyond Men are from Mars & Women are from Venus

      In addition to males and females having unique communication requirements it is now recognized that each generation has a preferred “communication package style”.  By being informed and sensitive to what makes each generation unique, people of all ages can more effectively contribute as they work happily side by side to accomplish their common goals.  

     On Thursday April 17^th beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Kendrick Senior Center, the Kendrick-Juliaetta and the 7 Ridges community is invited to a free meal, a training session titled “Bridging the Generational Gap” which will then be followed by community sharing and planning time. Multiple levels of communication will occur in this fast paced two and a half hour block of time.

    Mauri Knott, a University of Idaho 4-H Program Coordinator will present at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 17th a dynamic one hour “family friendly” informational training titled “Bridging the Generational Gap”.  In addition to exposing the generational communication styles, Mauri will share what drives each generation to succeed and how all the generations can effectively share their rich mixture of skills and experiences. One can daily use the relevant information that will be presented.

    This session’s format and new partnership between A.C.T.I.O. N. and the Kendrick-Juliaetta & 7 Ridges Live Newsletter group has come out of the re-scheduled mid-March day-long Saturday session. The Third Thursday of each month will continue to be the time to attend diverse community-wide trainings which will be sandwiched between a meal ( 5:30 – 6:00 p.m.) and the Live Newsletter organization sharing time and Horizon’s committee breakout group meetings (7:00 – 8:00 p.m.).    All events are free at this time because of contributions from the Latah County Youth Advocacy Council and Horizons.  For more information, suggestions for speakers or topics and child care options, contact Polly Taylor Dennler at 276-4302 or Chris Kowrach at 289-4799.

Article provided by Lillian Howerton 

The K-J Community Development Assoc. Board of Directors has joined with the K-J Horizons Steering Committee in exercising authority on decisions made during the process of fulfilling the NWAF Horizons program and are functioning as one unit.  The K-JCDA is the Fiscal Agent for the finances involved in the Horizons Program.

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