The Stone Soup Workshop is an innovative hands-on experience that brings individuals from diverse backgrounds, life experiences, ages, and perspectives together for a fun, team-building event. Participants choose ingredients and prepare a meal together while practicing respect as they explore each other’s unique strengths and life perspectives. The workshop creates a safe space for inclusive conversation, relationship strengthening, and fostering of trust across age groups. CDS session attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how this approach creates intergenerational connection through conversation and collaboration as a test ground for further positive change in workplaces, charitable organizations, communities, and homes.
This research examines the impact of mentorship, collaborative formation, and leadership development initiatives on youth council members and volunteers. It highlights the pivotal role of youth councils and volunteers in co-designing and tailoring formation and leadership programs to their unique needs. This study also provides a basis for understanding the challenges and capacities of the youth in their leadership roles. This year’s Community Development Society Conference theme, "Community Currents: Navigating Change Together, " emphasizes the importance of collaboration in achieving a better understanding of social realities and generational differences, as well as exploring collaborative efforts in adapting to rapid changes. It is imperative to understand the context of youth (Generation Z) and how these leadership potentials can be harnessed to become active agents of change in their communities.
In the Philippines, the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), or Youth Council, plays a crucial role in promoting youth engagement and leadership within local communities, as mandated by Republic Act 10742. This law not only establishes youth councils but also institutionalizes an electoral process to enhance young people’s participation in local governance. To support this, a formation and leadership development training initiative was implemented for the youth council of Palatiw, Pasig City, equipping emerging leaders with the critical skills they need. The initiative aims to empower young people to contribute meaningfully to community development. This collaborative effort resulted in the co-creation and delivery of a training program grounded in the Positive Youth Development (PYD) Framework, with sessions specifically designed to address the developmental objectives of the youth. Mentorship was integrated into the program to further advance the individual capacities of youth council members and volunteers (Lou & Stoeger, 2023). It navigates the critical aspects of leadership skills and character formation of the youth council and volunteers.
This study will examine the formation and leadership needs of youth council members and volunteers, providing recommendations on how mentorship and youth leadership can synergistically foster community development. Furthermore, it will assess the potential contributions of these initiatives to improve youth governance in the country. .
When Hyundai announced their intentions to build a $7.6M EV vehicle factory in a rural part of Bryan County, Georgia, many celebrated the largest economic development project in Georgia history. The factory would bring over 8,500 jobs, as well as numerous suppliers to nearby communities. Some saw this as a once in a generation opportunity to provide good paying jobs in an area with higher than average poverty rates.
Despite promises of good jobs, the pushback from some local residents was harsh and swift. Many expressed concern that the size and scope of the project would change their community beyond recognition and destroy the small town feel or rural lifestyle. Others expressed concerns about water availability, dwindling availability of farm land, the environmental impact of development, and unchecked sprawl. This paper will examine how three communities confronted and reacted to concerns about growth and development. Through content analysis of newspaper articles, social media posts, and official council and commission meeting minutes, we examine how community residents formed coalitions to oppose development, including the use of narratives to define place and “community.”
The turn of the 21st century has seen a new settlement pattern of immigrants bypassing traditional urban gateways and locating to rural spaces instead. Rural immigration thus presents a unique opportunity to advance the vitality of small towns. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of rural immigrants with community leadership. Findings revealed that rural immigrants experience community leadership as a broad practice of service meant for all members of the community, not just a select few. The experience of community leadership by rural immigrants also involves complexities in representation and challenges in developing immigrant leaders.
