Communities participate in Rural Development Summit
Jun. 15—VALDOSTA — Nine Georgia communities participated in the inaugural Rural Development Summit.
Communities representing Bacon County, Crawford County, Dawson County, Lanier County, Mitchell County, Peach County, Seminole County, Twigs County and Worth County were selected to participate in workshops with practitioners identifying key resources, trends and best practices for advancing rural economic development and resiliency last week.
The 2022 Rural Development Institute Summit is a partnership between Valdosta State University Center for South Georgia Regional Impact, economic and community development practitioners, and local leaders seeking resources to take active, applied steps to enhance and grow their community, Mill Graves, director of business development, Retail Strategies, said.
Each community participated in a self-evaluation and three-day summit determining three to five priority projects to implement during the next year. The key focus areas included regionalism, leadership, workforce development, industry, health care and retail and small business development.
"After each session, communities are tasked with identifying their unique assets, challenges and opportunities to create economic development strategies that give each community a competitive advantage for improving quality of life," Graves said. "The collaborative format encouraged discussion and a call to action for each community. I think each community walked away with a stronger sense of available resources and a re-energized focus on economic development opportunities community wide."
The program reinforces VSU's commitment to rural economic development and meeting the resource needs of rural communities across Georgia, university officials said.
