https://www.plymouth.edu/office/public-relations/clips/17466/psu-to-study-civic-life-in-haverhill/

Sean received this award based on merit as well as campus involvement and participation in CRP projects. Congrats Sean!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Plymouth State University plans civic forum for Haverhill area

PLYMOUTH, N.H. –  A two-year community engagement process in Haverhill Corner, North Haverhill and Woodsville will bring together citizens for discussions on a variety of issues focused on the quality of life in the towns.

The project, known as the Haverhill Civic Forum, is organized by Plymouth State University’s Center for Rural Partnerships (CRP).

As part of the project, small-group discussions will identify topics of wide community importance. The issues raised with the small groups will form the basis of a community wide discussion through public meetings throughout the area. Several meetings are expected over the fourteen-month project.

The project, known as the Haverhill Civic Forum, consists of community conversations led by PSU faculty and undergraduate students enrolled in PSU’s Rural Field Studies course. Project leader Professor Fran Belcher says the process has local residents choosing topics and priorities for discussion. “We’re hoping to have a lot of constructive dialogue,” she said. “Our goal is to have residents set the agenda, identify challenges, set achievable objectives, and ultimately enhance quality of life in the Haverhill area.”

Dates for public meetings will be announced in the newspaper and other venues in the coming weeks.

Belcher adds that underrepresented groups, such as high school students, senior citizens and others, are a special focus of the forums.

In addition to strengthening the community, the project introduces PSU students to issues facing rural communities and teaches them how to engage citizens to find solutions.

The Center for Rural Partnerships dedicates Plymouth State University’s research, outreach, and educational capacities to foster collaborative projects that promote community resilience, opportunity, and a high quality of life in rural New Hampshire.  For more information on the Haverhill Civic Forum, or to join or host a local conversation, please contact the Center for Rural Partnerships at crp-haverhill@plymouth.edu. 

For more information about this release, contact Tim Kershner, PSU Chief Public Relations Officer, (603) 535-2476 or tlkershner@plymouth.edu

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HaverhillCivicForumPressRelease3.29

In the past decade, agritourism has become one of the fastest-­‐growing segments of the tourism industry. This growth has meant new challenges for farmers, in areas such as insurance, technology and e-­‐commerce, food safety, legal counsel, and financial management.

Responding to the growing needs of agritourism farmers, the Center for Rural Partnerships (CRP), in conjunction with UVM Extension and the Northeast Center for Risk Management Education, created a series of workshops designed to help Farmers manage the risks associated with having visitors on their farm. These workshops focused on a three-­‐tool policy for managing risk, which included:

• Seeking the help and advice of experts
• Creating a support network of stakeholders
• Developing a personalized risk management plan

During the course of the project, approximately 85 farmers took advantage of the CRP’s risk-­‐management workshops. Insurance agents, marketing specialists, local extensions specialists, farmers and foresters were all on hand to offer expertise and network with participants. By the end of each workshop, the participants had engaged with each other and the experts to develop a deeper understanding of the strategies for managing risk, and many had even developed personalized working plans to take back to their farms.

Although developing an Agritourism business can seem overwhelming at first, the workshops showed that landowners and farmers of all skill level could successfully develop and implement the tools of risk management, ensuring positive agricultural and rural experiences for their visitors.

Dan Lee, an Associate Professor of Economics at Plymouth State who is affiliated with the Center for Rural Partnerships, wanted to further study these changes and their impact on the economy of the North Country. With support from the Neil and Louse Tillotson fund of the NH Charitable Foundation, the College of Business Administration, and others at the state and institutional level, he created the North Country Economic Index (NCEI), a quarterly report detailing the economic conditions of New Hampshire’s North Country.

The mission of the NCEI is to bring a voice to the North Country by providing accurate statistical information specific to Coos, Carroll and Grafton Counties. Most economic indexes generalize an entire state, while overlooking nuanced regional information and variables that may help to better explain a region’s economic situation. The NCEI focuses on four major areas of study: manufacturing and trade sales, housing, production, and employment.

The data and analysis provided each quarter will help policy makers, community leaders, non-­‐profit managers, and government officials make well-­‐rounded decisions benefitting both their communities and the economy of New Hampshire as a whole.

Tuesday December 4th

3:30pm- 6:00pm

Heritage Commons, Samuel Read Hall Hall, PSU Campus