A partnership between Entergy Arkansas and the UCA Center for Community and Economic Development
Through the Community Catalyst 2.0 program, our team at UCA in partnership with Entergy Arkansas (Entergy) will assist two Arkansas communities in Entergy’s service territory with grassroots citizen engagement and technical assistance training to develop small, actionable community and economic development goals and to serve as a catalyst for longer-term economic development engagements and priorities.
To do this, we will utilize a process called Strategic Doing. Strategic Doing is an innovative community development tool that, unlike traditional strategic planning, focuses on immediate, impactful small wins and goals to create transformation in communities. Strategic Doing enables people to form collaborations quickly, guide them toward measurable outcomes and make adjustments along the way. Strategic Doing enables leaders to design and guide new networks that generate innovative solutions. It is a new strategy discipline that is lean, agile and fast – which is what communities need to survive and thrive in our current global economy.
Selected communities will receive the following services through the Community Catalyst program:
- Initial planning meeting that will include a driving tour of the community and an overview of the process
- Community survey to identify the strengths, needs, and wants of the community
- Brainstorming session with key community leaders (the Executive Team) to identify the community’s appreciative question
- Strategic Doing planning session
- Assistance with the community’s first 30/30 meeting
- Assistance developing a communications plan and best practices
- Short one-year summative report of activities completed through the Catalyst program
- Coaching for the Executive Team
- $1,000 towards a Community Catalyst mini-grant
- Follow up assistance as needed
The Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University will also serve as a partner in this program.
Community Catalyst (2020 – 2022)
Through the Community Catalyst program (2020 – 2022), the University of Central Arkansas Center for Community and Economic Development in partnership with Entergy Arkansas (Entergy) assisted five Arkansas communities (Wynne, Harrison, Monticello, Magnolia, and Searcy) in Entergy’s service territory with grassroots citizen engagement and technical assistance training to develop small, actionable community and economic development goals and to serve as a catalyst for longer-term economic development engagements and priorities.
The Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University also served as a key partner in the program. The video above provides a snapshot of the program and the impact it made at the local-level.