Each year communities and groups across Iowa collectively develop thousands of plans. Prepared by Northeast Iowa RC&D, this series provides strategies from their experience that will help transform your plan from a cookie cutter document that sits on a shelf to an action orientated guide for the future.

When you approach community problems, mindfulness can broaden your perspective. You can gain awareness of the context surrounding a problem, and the layered and diverse perspectives of those affected by the problem, whatever the problem may be.

While many individuals are coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender at an earlier age, schools are not adapting to meet these student’s needs and prevent discrimination. In addition, many states do not have anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBT youth from violence and harassment. 

Everyday Democracy provides the keys to success in their resource called “10 Strategies for Recruiting Active Volunteers.” Founded in 1989, Everyday Democracy strives to bring together diverse groups of individuals to discuss social and political issues. Their hope is that dialogue between individuals of all backgrounds will help communities facilitate solutions and change.