The community must understand the program purpose, steps, and timeline, and commit the needed resources to complete the process. A working group of approximately 45 people representing all perspectives and interests in the community will be formed.

The Initiating Group will:

1. form an initiating group (5 to 10 people) who will recruit a working group (approximately 45 people)

2. secure financial and time commitments

3. help the working group members get to know each other, understand the program, and design a structure for their tasks

4. create a means for ongoing communication with the larger community (e.g., regular newspaper feature, special newsletter, outdoor sign charting Take Charge progress) to share information as the program progresses

5. inventory similar community planning and training programs conducted in recent years

6. identify skill building and training needs and schedule into the process

ASU Center for Regional & Community Development (CRCD) will :

1. form an ASU facilitation team

2. explain program, time frame and expected commitments

3. facilitate formation of initiating group and working group

4. explain community capitals, asset?based development, and elements of successful collaboration

CRCD will meet with the Working Group to explain the Group's role, to answer questions, and to provide the Working Group with tools to use in their work. The Initiating Group will work to lubricate the rest of the process, including obtaining endorsements for the process from significant groups and helping to bring major parties "to the table", eliminating or reducing unforeseen barriers to the process, and securing key commitments to the final plan.

Collect information on residents' desires for the future of the community and identify similarities and differences among the ideas. Determine issues of most importance to the community.

The Working Group will:

1. gather broad?based input from the community

2. delegate short?term projects to implement (if appropriate)

3. communicate the preliminary visions with the larger community

ASU Center for Regional & Community Development will:

1. provide techniques for this process

2. facilitate the visioning process

3. summarize issues and opportunities for your community's future

CRCD will facilitate a 2-hour session with the Working Group to help them develop the preliminary vision statement.

A "reality check" of current situation to identify community assets available for development. Conduct a self?study using the framework of community capital. Participants learn how to access, analyze, and apply data and information.


The Working Group will:

1. identify indicators of community capital to examine and collect data in smaller study teams

2. summarize and present findings to other study teams

3. synthesize findings from all study teams (what does it all mean?)

4. disseminate highlights via communications network

5. organize countywide community assessment meeting

6. Framework for Community Profiles


Community Capital is the collection of assets a community can use in the development process. There are five different kinds of community capital:


1. Human capital: skills, talents, health, and vitality of people

2. Social capital: organizations, associations, relationships, and level of trust among people, spirit of volunteerism

3. Environmental capital: physical features of the landscape, soil productivity, raw resources, mountains, and rivers

4. Constructed physical capital: developed by human art, skill or effort, e.g., facilities, equipment, roads, buildings, works of art, manufactured products

5. Financial capital: monetary resources


Each of the five types of capital can be used to create other things of value to us, things that improve our quality of life. Research suggests that the most critical capital is social capital. Without it, none of the others can be developed and mobilized to improve community quality of life.


ASU Center for Regional & Community Development will:

6. explain framework of community capital

7. assist groups in data collection, analysis and presentation

8. facilitate analysis and synthesis of data (what does it all mean?)

9. provide techniques for organizing countywide town hall session one

10. facilitate the countywide town hall meeting

Take Charge! Meeting 1 "Where Are We Now?"

Explore a variety of directions and "what if " scenarios for future development (e.g., what if data trends continue? What if we implement certain strategies?). Determine the feasibility and desirability of options.


The Working Group will:


1. articulate alternative scenarios and examine them for feasibility and desirability

2. visit "peer cities" to learn about development options

3. disseminate findings via the communications network

4. organize countywide visioning session (3-hr)


ASU Center for Regional & Community Development will:


1. develop and facilitate scenario building process

2. identify "peer cities" to learn about development options
provide techniques for county meeting two

3. facilitate county meeting two



Take Charge! Meeting 2 "Where Do We Want To Be?"



After examining community assets, alternate scenarios, and possible strategies, your community will define its future direction.


The Working Group will:


1. develop a single, shared community vision based on the information gathered in previous steps

2. build community?wide consensus for the vision

3. identify measurable benchmarks for monitoring progress

4. disseminate the vision via the communications network


ASU Center for Regional & Community Development will:

- develop techniques for and facilitate this process

Take Charge! Meeting 3 "How Do We Get There?"




Identify short and long?term strategies, prioritize strategies, and assess feasibility, realistic timeline for implementation.


The Working Group will:


1. organize countywide public meeting to help develop strategies

2. create plan

3. assess feasibility of identified strategies

4. prioritize strategies

5. set up process to monitor progress

6. disseminate plan via communications network


ASU Center for Regional & Community Development will:


1. develop techniques for and facilitate the planning process (including public meeting 3)

2. provide technical assistance on some strategies and projects

3. broker with other institutions for technical assistance on some strategies and projects

Projects and strategies that move your community toward its desired future.


The community will:


1. expand citizen involvement (implementation occurs through subcommittees)

2. work on projects

3. report on progress via communications network


ASU Center for Regional & Community Development will:


1. provide technical assistance on some strategy/projects (including data and information)

2. broker with other institutions for technical assistance on some strategy/projects

3. help community learn to be good consumer of technical assistance/consulting





Ongoing evaluation of both process of program and progress toward goals.


The community will:

1. select benchmark indicators for action plan o participate in periodic evaluation

2. plan public "celebration" of progress and success

3. report on progress via communications network ASU Center for Regional & Community Development will: o develop suggested benchmark indicators for action plan

4. train benchmarking subgroup members in their task o return to community every six months to participate in evaluation o facilitate plan modifications