21st Century Rural Learning Community Proposal

The Southwest Georgia Counties of Tift, Worth, Turner, and Cook identified a key element to survival for their rural communities in 1995: They must embrace a regional approach to addressing the challenges and opportunities that affect the sustainability of their communities. In the future they will either exist together if they pool their resources, leadership, and talents or they will suffer the plight of so many rural areas and cease to be viable. This local ownership of the model of collaboration has laid the groundwork for utilizing technology to address regional challenges by demonstrating the communities commitment and institutional support necessary to help insure success.

This area's leadership quickly understood the impact technology will have on its community development. I-75 runs through three of the counties comprising the Pathways to Progress Joint Development Authority serving Tift, Turner, Worth, and Cook Counties. Worth County's lack of immediate access to the interstate may have subconsciously weighed in the minds of local leadership when they realized how development had followed this highly utilized transportation corridor. While they would likely never have an interstate routed through Worth County, they could make sure the information superhighway did not pass them by. A small band of local citizens formed a grassroots organization now known as Worth County-Sylvester Ga. Free-Net, Inc. ("Free- Net"). This community network and internet service was financed and implemented totally by local citizens with funds raised from private individuals and businesses.

Since 1994, the Free-Net has helped cast the vision for what technology can mean to community development. The ability to reach out and influence lives of more citizens has been hampered to a large degree by the fact that the organization has been run entirely on a volunteer basis and with very limited operating funds of under $5,000 per year.

With adequate resources, it would be possible to educate the public and local leadership to the potential this Free Net affords ALL local citizens. This would assure that the information highway's entrance ramps that no barriers or detours because of geographic location, age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, access to or familiarity with technology. This small Southwest Georgia rural, agrarian-based economy has embraced the opportunities available through its Free-Net with only the most meager resources. We strongly believe the lesson learned and the foundation laid can be instrumental in carrying us to the next level: that level which integrates technology into the solutions for those already well identified challenges that threaten the very existence of our communities. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs chronicled the history of our Free-Net in its publication "Tools for More Effective Local Government #8", which can be read at www.peanut.org under Community News; Tools. We believe the answers to our challenges are to be found in developing a 21st Century Rural Learning Community - one that embraces technology to help solve both age old and new issues of which we are even now unaware.

The four county development region has entered into a collaboration with the colleges and universities located in South Georgia, local school systems, area technical institutions, hospitals and healthcare providers, a military installation located in a nearby county, churches, agricultural support organizations, agribusiness and grassroots civic organizations that are involved in youth mentoring and juvenile delinquency prevention programs. In addition, partners include family and children advocacy groups, educational improvement organizations, civil rights organizations, economic and community development groups, public administrators, telephone and other telecommunications service providers, agricultural research facility, leadership programs, Chambers of Commerce, utilities, and other governmental agencies. While the mothership of our 21st Century Rural Learning Community is the four county region described, we embrace participation with other surrounding counties, their institutions and citizens. We recognize that one of the advantages of technology is that we can define our virtual community by areas of common interest, concern, and commonality as opposed to the more traditional geographic definition. The biggest boundary we are crossing is one that has perhaps been among our largest limiting factors: the inability to conceive that anyone outside our geographic area would reach out to help us help ourselves. This area has not vigorously pursued outside funding to help make our technology plans a reality; we have limited ourselves to that which we could internally finance. Being a poverty stricken area has imposed severe limitations. We are self- reliant people who have made do with strategies that have had to suffice, because they were the best we could do with very limited resources. With a dose of help, the sky can be the limit and we can dream even larger dreams. This self imposed limitation is changing though, as has been recently demonstrated by combined efforts within the region to pool resources to meet common needs. One such example is an application in the amount of $87,000 for a Regional Assistance Program grant from the State of Georgia for funding to develop a comprehensive plan specifically for economic development. A key element will be to develop a plan for utilizing technology to better serve the economic development needs of the region. Everyday new partners are being identified and alliances structured. All counties will have service presence of an adult technical school in the coming year and with it the possibility of complete linkage to an international distance learning network (www.gactr. uga.edu /usgis / index.html). No longer will we be defined by our geographic isolation.

Within the social service, educational, public safety, healthcare, and economic development arenas there has been a significant amount of collaboration among these disciplines. The time has come and technology makes it feasible for each to reach beyond their own discipline and geography to realize the potential fruits of a concerted region wide collaboration that has technology as the vehicle to assist in reaching our goals. This will be essential if we are to adopt successful strategies for the challenges that face us.

Our rural area has upwards of 40% of our adults who do not have a high school education. One of our communities is ranked 151 of 159 counties with the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the State of Georgia, which is particularly alarming since Georgia has the dubious distinction of leading the nation in teen pregnancies. Atlanta and its suburbs have seen some of the fastest growth in the nation, but South Georgia's rural counties have by and large seen farms in distress and the exodus of our educated young people lured by the bright lights and economic opportunities of Atlanta. This creates a vicious cycle of trying to attract business with a less than competitive, trained workforce. Childcare issues, basic adult education, quality of homelife that prepares students for school and access to quality affordable healthcare are just a few of the challenges facing our area. That is why the Steering team has embraced the opportunity afforded through the MIRA grant.

The steering team is composed of 12 members from five counties. Included in the representation are 6 males and 6 females, 10 whites and 2 blacks. The membership breakdown by ages is: 1 (10-18), 1 (19-30), 6 (31-45) and 4 (46-65). The occupational areas of interest, service, residence and employment break out as follows: 1 social service director/retired military/specialist in leadership and systems change/resident Albany, Doughtery County/employed Sylvester, Worth County; 1 professional artist/community activist for drop out prevention member of a local development authority/resident and employed Ashburn, Turner County; 1 founder of a community network/educator/technology director for local school system/visionary/resident and employed Sylvester, Worth County; 1 city administrator/ board member of joint development authority for four counties/board member for municipal owned utility installing fiber optic access to rural areas/resident and employed Adel, Cook County; 1 Chamber of Commerce staff/performing musician/former educator/ resident Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County and Ashburn, Turner County/ employed Ashburn, Turner County; 1 Chamber of Commerce staff/former marketing and special events planner/resident and employed Adel, Cook County; 1 Chamber of Commerce staff/retail development specialist/promotions/ resident and employed Tifton, Tift County; 1 student/student government official/community activist/ resident rural Tift County and Sylvester, Worth County/attends school Tifton, Tift County; 1 computer entrepreneur/ pastor/government purchasing agent/resides and is employed Albany, Doughtery County; 1 specialty attorney practicing in remote area via technology/resides Alapaha, Tift County/employed Tifton, Tift County; 1 nonpracticing attorney/ former assistant to governor/ strategic facilitator for linking resources of the University System to promote economic viability in Southwest Georgia/ resides Athens, Clarke County/ employed Athens, Clarke County and Tifton, Tift County; and 1 nontraditional rural economic and community developer/member joint four county development authority/resides and is employed Sylvester, Worth County . While others have been involved during the development of the application in areas of education, library, agriculture, healthcare, government, and small business development, those individuals preferred to function within specific project teams as opposed to serving on the steering team.

A complete demographic profile is available on each county under the Census Bureau, Demographic Profiles entry at www.CVIOG.UGA.EDU/Projects/gainfo/profiles.htm, under County Data at http://murmur.arch. gatech. edu/results/georgia.html and under the Site Map; Publications; Snapshots at www.dca.state.ga.us. Although the geographic area of these four counties is rather large being, a total of 1,366.6 sq. miles, the population is somewhat sparse, 80,441 people, for a density rate of roughly 59 persons per sq. mile. Within the borders of these counties residents can drive to a central location within a reasonable time. Conversely, it is large enough to ensure the composition of at least ten teams or 10-15 people who cross county lines to form new partnerships. Because there are 14 municipalities within the geographic area it is possible to draw from a cross section of rural and city inhabitants.

Our area is served by Free-Net in Worth County, PeachNet, the state system available at libraries, schools and post secondary institutions and a variety of local and national Internet Service Providers. We have the benefit of being served by both a local telephone company, Plant Telephone, along with national phone companies, BellSouth and Alltell.

21st Century Rural Learning Community - Community Cluster Teams

Teams 1-3 are already formed, with the balance of teams described in various stages of formation.

PEANUT: People Electronically Acting Neighborly Utilizing Technology (www.peanut.org)

Team 1

Team Members include the Worth County-Sylvester Free-Net Board of Directors, Technology Directors for each school system, local computer specialists, a "stay at home Mom" with a degree in communications and public relations who is willing to freelance on a part time basis on behalf of her community, technical support staff from the University System, community activists, members of the Urban Rural Summit initiative, local chamber and economic development personnel, and students from area colleges, technical institutes, high schools and middle schools.

A. Linking people to people with resources to solve challenges facing their communities. The Rural Economic Development Partnership, sponsored by the University System of the State of Georgia, Department of Community Affairs, and other agencies will provide a homepage web site clearinghouse to promote the opportunities of visiting, doing business in South Georgia, or moving to the area. In addition, through links to rural resources and the University community, local leaders will have a one- stop shop of information and bulletin board for sharing resources, concerns, and success stories. This came out of a South Georgia Initiative held in 1996 to help foster a greater awareness among the communities in South Georgia of the strengths available from their neighbors and outside resources and to assist in developing a regional focus for economic development

B. Develop a comprehensive public information and marketing campaign to educate the general public on available technology, its access and utilization. Provide part time staffing to assist the current volunteer base to better achieve the goals of the Free-Net.

C. Make public access kiosk points available in locations such as City Halls, County Courthouses, Post Office, libraries, etc. Solicit donations of usable equipment to establish these points.

D. Provide electronic mail and discussion groups for local users; providing citizens with such information as bus schedules, life long learning class schedules, job opportunities, county legislation and regulations, calendar of events, school lunch menus, homework help lines, advice from local professionals and tradespeople such as auto mechanics, lawyers, librarians, and law enforcement officials, electronic catalogs for libraries, restaurant listings, tourist attractions, drafts of strategic plans, motor vehicle renewals, energy conservation ads, health information, index to local newspapers, reports from members of Congress who represent the area, world and national news, and discussion groups with participants from all over the US and other counties.

E. Promote the sharing of information and ideas by providing opportunities to reflect on approaches to the complex issues facing the four county area and encouraging the development of shared visions and collaborative strategies to influence systems of change.

Building an Entrepreneurial Network- A Virtual Main Street to the World

Team 2

Team members include small business development specialist, economic development practitioners, State Main Street Director, Community based Main Street Directors, webmasters, staff from Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism, representatives from two telephone companies, faculty from Georgia Southwestern School of Business, area technical schools and Georgia Tech, representative of Georgia Center for Advanced Telecommunication, chambers of commerce personnel, local business owners, agribusiness leaders, and members of Tourism committees.

A. Provide technical support for businesses to utilize technology applications such as web page design and maintenance and marketing techniques on the web to expand and grow their businesses. This will enable the small firms to tap into the markets beyond their storefront, manufacturing plant or local farmers markets.

B. Utilize the distance learning system satellite to conduct business with prospects, customers and suppliers around the state, nation and world

Mentoring the 21st Century Farmer

Team 3

Team Members include the county agents from all four counties, staff from the Rural Development Center and Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton, middle school and high school student leaders in 4H and FFA organizations, leaders from agricultural related trade organizations (Georgia Cattlemen, Georgia Peanut Producers, etc.), utility company agricultural specialists, Vocational Directors from each high school and middle school in the region, faculty from area technical institutions, faculty from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, researchers from the National Environmentally Sound Production Agricultural Laboratory (NESPAL) (http://nespal.cpes.peachnet.edu/), and Sunbelt Ag Expo staff.

A. Utilize technology, educational collaborative and apprenticeships to rekindle interest among a new generation of farmers and to provide "retooling" for existing farmers. Subjects to be considered include precision agriculture and computerized farm accounting and management.

B. Provide training to both existing and potential young farmers in the use and maintenance of agricultural high tech machinery . This can be accomplished with a partnership between the established farming organizations, vocational technical apprenticeship programs at the high schools, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, University of Georgia, Coastal Plain Research Station, USDA, Moultrie and East Central Tech, Sunbelt Ag Expo and private farm implement manufacturers

Workforce Development Initiative

Team 4

Team members include middle and high school counselors and social workers, educational administrators, area technical school counselors and job placement specialists, curriculum specialists, parents, students, employers, school board members, University System resource personnel, government elected officials and other interested parties as public awareness develops.

A. Provide access to inventory of career interest and aptitude through community wide assessment utilizing national technology based resources for citizens age K - 65.

B. Provide computer labs throughout the region in governmental, educational, religious, and business facilities for diagnostic and prescriptive individualized learning programs for basic skills training and remediation. This collaboration with existing resources will assure greater availability to a broader cross section of the communities through increased public awareness and tailoring of course offerings and times to meet the needs of all citizens.

C. Link area communities to world wide learning and economic opportunities through installation of multiple satellite distance learning sites. This network will allow enrichment field trips, continuing professional education, advanced and specialized course offerings for high school, technical and college students, leadership training for government officials and other unlimited possibilities ( www.ga. ctr.uga.edu/usgis/index.html).

D. Installation of a Learning Logic Lab to prepare students to acquire the critical thinking skill development needed in a technology driven world.

E. Offer specific training for all school personnel on software designed to manage the administrative functions of education, thereby releasing teacher time for better quality instruction.

Agricultural and Health InterdisciplinaryUtilization of

Digital Imaging to Enhance Disease Diagnosis

Team 5

Team members currently include the director of nursing at one area hospital and a county extension agent. Other team members will be recruited through personal contact and media exposure.

A. Equip community with access to a mobile digital microscope and laptop that can be shared between the agricultural and healthcare professionals in the community to transmit specimens to laboratories for diagnosis. These laboratories can include the Centers for Disease Control, Medical College of Georgia or other healthcare research institutes that would be accessible through the internet. In addition, the increased presence of pests and disease can have major impact on the continued viability of small scale farmers. The virtual instantaneous response to plant disease and pest identification from research institutions will assist in retaining profitable family farms

Librarians as Facilitators for Community Technology Integration

Team 6

Team members will include students, library patrons, faculty from the University System and Adult and Technical Schools, local library staff and other members to be recruited.

A. Many rural satellite libraries provide staffing only to the extent there are local funds available. This creates disparity among regional libraries that have funding from the state to provide staffing. Of particular concern is the lack of technology expertise for rural satellite librarians. By employing a part time circuit rider technology "evangelist" to share the good news of technology and its' advantages, these rural libraries can be important key leaders in helping their communities manage information.

Recycling and Upgrading Systems for Low Cost Community Connectivity

Team 7

Team members may include a consortia of financial institutions, area technical schools, government surplus agencies, private business, computer repair companies, social service agencies, civic clubs and churches.

A. Many rural citizens find enjoy access to cable TV. because it is affordable and easily installed. This success in deploying technology to rural areas can be emulated with the intent of deploying an affordable computer system into the majority of homes in our rural community. Computers quickly become obsolete for business and governmental agencies that utilize increasingly powerful software programs. The older units can serve a vital function as an introductory computer into the homes of our economically depressed area. Donated units or those purchased from surplus sales can be reconditioned through a variety of methods. One possibility would be to approach technical schools and area high schools about refurbishing these units as part of their curriculum. This would serve a two fold purpose in training technicians and minimizing repair costs. Then a standard basic set of shareware could be loaded and units could be sold to families with a small profit built in to assist in continuing to acquire additional units. Local financial institutions could assist in financing or a revolving loan pool could possibly be established to allow citizens access to a computer system for under $500. The monthly cost if spread over 18 months would be less than the current cost of basic cable service. Habitat for Humanity which has its origins in Southwest Georgia, has proven that a new model for providing housing in a manner totally contrary to normal market forces can work. We believe that similar concepts can be employed to provide access to technology for all segments of society.

B. Citizens purchasing a home computer through this teams program would also be eligible for a mini series of training and would help to foster a home environment conducive to learning for all family members.

Healthcare Delivery Transformation in the 21st Century

Team 8

Team members would possibly include representatives from the US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration's National Demonstration Grant "21 st Century Digital Economy: A New Century Community", local healthcare delivery agencies, physicians, allied health care providers, medical college clinical professors, Connecting Point Technology Demonstration Center for the Disabled, and Georgia Statewide Academic Medical System (www.gactr.uga. edu/GSAMS/gsams.html)

A. Develop and implement a plan for full utilization of telemedicine and other technology based service delivery methods. Utilize the region's position as a progressive medical provider to help attract retirees and others to rural areas (www.peanut.org under Community News; 21st Century Community and Harnessing the Digital Economy). We believe retiree recruitment efforts will be enhanced by greater utilization and access to healthcare technology in rural areas.

B. Make additional technology and assistive devices available for disabled citizens through expansion of the Tools for Life lending equipment resource room.

Teams 9 -10 are still in the formative stages. Networking with citizens has revealed the opportunities addressed by the proposed teams 1-8, therefore, we are certain there will be two additional areas of emphasis identified and teams assembled prior to the Foundation's visit. Particular attention is being given to engage interest and participation in teams among students at area colleges, technical institutions, and local middle and high schools.

We believe that all of the Community Cluster Teams we have proposed and those being developed will further our goal of becoming a "21st Century Rural Learning Community." We appreciate the W.W. Kellogg Foundation's interest in promoting utilization of technology in rural areas and challenging us through this grant to take a fresh look at how we can utilize technology to help us meet our communities' goals.