These videos may help you others advance your understanding about community economic development. They range from general overviews to the ideas and opinions of various thought leaders.
The Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet)
Is a national association of several hundred organizations and individuals in every province and territory of Canada committed to strengthening communities by creating economic opportunities that enhance social and environmental conditions.
Economic development is about innovation and marketing (storytelling). Only the purple cow communities will survive. Ryan Lilly is the Director of Business Creation for the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership (CEP) in Ocala, Florida.
Ryan discusses three parts and five steps
to Community Innovation and Marketing:
Social Synthesizing
Create systems for bringing people together.
Synergistic Spaces
Create spaces for physically bringing people together.
Success Stories
The elevator pitch for your community.
Five steps:
Seek, Synergize, Support, Streamline, and Share
Driven by the belief that building a sustainable world begins by creating viable models that are place-based and empower people to own the solutions within their community, Eric Kornacki co-founded Re:Vision in 2007 and today serves as its executive director.
Under his leadership, Re:Vision has grown to a staff of more than 25 people with an annual operating budget of more than $2 million. Re:Vision’s work to build a community-owned food system that increases access and affordability to healthy food while creating economic opportunity in one of Denver’s most vulnerable neighborhoods has created the largest community-led urban agriculture program in the country, with more than 400 families now growing their own food.
Canadian CED Network
a national member-led organization including community-based organizations, co-operatives, social enterprises, practitioners, active citizens, researchers, and other organizations involved in community economic development (CED). (Both organizational and individual membership fees apply.)
Overview of CED – including video/flyer/brochure ‘intros’
Events listing (nation-wide)
Community (Local) Economic Development
Alberta Government site that provides “tools and resources to help support local economic development”.
Small Business Resources
Links on starting a business; funding a business; regulations
Grants & Funding
Described as “funding opportunities that support thriving communities and economic prosperity in Alberta’s small cities and towns.”
Tools & References
Include links to data sets including Alberta Economy and Industry Canada info, stats and resources
Buy Social Canada
An ‘intermediary’ organization – advances social procurement – a meeting place for “socially driven purchasers and social enterprise suppliers”
Includes certification process for suppliers and purchasers
Social Procurement
“Why Buy Social” a 12 min intro video
Social procurement
Sample purchasing guidelines and language for rfp
Momentum
Based in Calgary, Momentum began operations in 1991 as an employment program of the Mennonite Central Committee of Alberta. Offers programs, courses, workshops to help people:
Thrive Calgary
(“a community leadership initiative of Momentum”)
Calgary’s Community Economic Development Network – a project of Momentum that builds community leadership in CED through links to educational opportunities, and incubating social business ideas.
Comment – if “Momentum” is the entity that helps people move out of poverty; “Thrive” is the initiative that helps community leaders create the paths.