2014 Connect with Southern Indiana

I was accepted into the 2014 Connect with Southern Indiana program and couldn't be more excited about the opportunities this will give me to grow my leadership skills and connections. Although it started out as solely a leadership program, the focus shifted starting in 2013 to emphasize what is referred to as the 'entrepreneurial mindset.' The description about the new focus taken from http://www.usi.edu/extserv/outreach/connect.asp states, 

"The program’s main educational focus is a social entrepreneurship model in which participants seek innovative solutions to a variety of problems or needs. Participants in this program will bridge the gap between entrepreneurial thought and practice by focusing on activities that must be carried out by entrepreneurial-oriented organizations.  This program is designed to actively immerse participants in the strategic entrepreneurial process with the objectives to reinforce and develop divergent thinking, analytical thinking, and communication skills. The primary goal is the development and communication of an organizational model in an atmosphere that is based on team collaboration and coaching." 

I had to present my case on why I should be a participant, because it is meant for residents of the 9 counties covered in the program. So what happened? As the Project Coordinator for the Senior Resource Guide of Southwest Indiana (http://resources.swirca.org/en/), I am connected to and serve 8 of the 9 counties that the Connect program covers. And being new to the area, how can I expect to serve a community that I don't know? Thankfully, the people who make the decision of who participates agreed with me, and here I am!

The program takes part over 10 all-day Friday sessions. Each session is held in one of the program counties and is focused on not only developing the aforementioned skills, but also learning about the county and what is unique to that community. I plan to have entries for each of these 10 sessions, not just for my own records, but also as part of the journal that I need to keep to satisfy earning graduate credit for this experience. :)