Wide Angle Strategies
Supporting rural communities to solve local problems in ways that advance equity and opportunities for all.
Leadership Development
To create local solutions that advance opportunities for all, leaders must have an understanding of the relevant systems and policies, an ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, and an innovative approach to the work. Wide Angle Strategies can help individuals develop these capacities through customized trainings as well as individual and group coaching sessions.
Strategy and Facilitation
Rural non-profit and government agencies are often so busy trying to meet their community's basic needs, that they don't take time to explore the root causes of the issues they are addressing, much less to develop nuanced strategies for solving them. Wide Angle Strategies can help your organization or partnership design and facilitate processes that address these deeper questions and lead to systems change.
Research and Writing
While rural communities have the capacity to solve their own problems, they can benefit from more data about their local challenges, learning about models that have worked in other communities, and being aware of financial and other resources available to them. Wide Angle Strategies can support organizations and partnerships with this research, grantwriting as well as formulating 501c3 applications to the IRS for new organizations.
Select Projects
Supporting a group of community leaders working to renovate the old Calfee Training School in Pulaski, VA, into a community and cultural center in a way that will preserve the legacy of the once thriving African American school while meeting important needs in Pulaski County, a childcare desert. Wide Angle Strategies has supported the project through grantwriting, facilitation, communications strategies, and other project management tasks.
Building on lessons learned through the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission process, the NC-TJRC initiative is a grassroots, people-powered Process, Commission and Movement. It is designed to walk the varied segments of NC’s diverse population towards each other so that they may eventually walk together building broad “community truths.” Wide Angle Strategies has supported this initiative in a variety of ways including support in drafting initial founding documents, facilitating training sessions for statewide organizers, and grantwriting and other development strategies.
Modeled after truth and reconciliation commissions in Canada and elsewhere, this Commission was tasked with better understanding the experiences of Native American Wabanaki children in the child welfare system in Maine as well as crafting recommendations about how the state could better serve Wabanaki families going forward. Early in the Commission's work, I trained the commissioners on truth-seeking initiatives and oral history interview techniques. Later, I co-facilitated a strategic planning retreat, including drafting the strategic plan that was developed.
Facilitated the planning and implementation of a community training/fundraiser entitled "EmPOWER Yourself: A Hands-on Introduction to Solar Energy." Farmers, students, and others interested in learning about solar energy came together for a training with New River Community College instructor Keith McAllister who taught them the basics of installing solar panels. The proceeds are being used to purchase and install a photovoltaic system for Pulaski Grow.
Drafted a report on civil society truth-seeking initiatives (CSTIs), including case studies on six different CSTIs on six different continents as well as recommended best practices. Preparation included extensive interviews with CSTI leaders as well as secondary research. Facilitated focus group meeting with CSTI organizers on the report's findings and case studies.