Earlier this month, two IBM specialists in business continuity and resiliency services conducted two Disaster Preparedness for Nonprofit Workshops in Vermont. The workshops were donated to the Vermont Digital Economy Project through IBM’s Service Grants program. I had arranged the first workshop through the leadership of the Vermont Access Network, a professional membership organization representing…
Vermont Public Radio: http://digital.vpr.net/post/conference-focuses-financing-working-lands According to those working to improve farming and forestry opportunities in Vermont, the state is experiencing a renaissance. There’s an influx of interested young people and a host of new ideas for keeping the land productive. The third annual Financing the Working Landscape Conference Thursday in Middlebury will provide a chance…
It was humbling to be part of the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s visiting team for the Guilford Community Visit on October 15th. The Town of Guilford is a community just south of Brattleboro, along Vermont’s southeastern border with Massachusetts, that is comprised of five hamlets, each with its own character. There were many reasons…
This article was written by Donald de Voil, Internet Interns Coordinator at CCV In today’s world, it can be impossible to apply for a job, fill out a government form, or complete other essential tasks, without some internet literacy. Sadly, too many Vermonters find the world of online a bewildering, frustrating and disempowering experience. If…
This article was written by Christine Friese, Assistant State Librarian, Vermont Department of Libraries Recently, Library directors, trustees and staff from 10 public libraries, representatives from the Vermont State Library, and members of the Vermont Digital Economy Project spent a day at the Brown Public library in Northfield with consultants from IBM, learning all about…
In August, VCRD was honored to serve as a partner with the Windham Foundation to facilitate their thirty-fifth Grafton Conference. On the 50th year anniversary of the foundation, they wisely chose to bring together key industry and policy leaders to address the topic: “Vermont’s Forest Economy: Advancing Creativity and Entrepreneurship in Value-Added Forest Products.” The…
On October 3rd, I had the great pleasure of moderating an educational panel at the Vermont League of Cities & Towns Town Fair 2013. The purpose of the panel was to educate municipal leaders from the four corners of the state on how they can leverage digital tools to build community resilience and improve overall…
On September 23rd, the Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) in Waterbury hosted an IBM “Strategies for Social Media” workshop for Vermont’s emergency managers and their extended partners. The purpose of the workshop was for the IBM consultants to gain inputs needed to assist Vermont in creating a road map for using…
A goal of our grant is to assist towns, business and nonprofits in using technology to be more prepared in the case of another disaster. This effort includes encouraging communities to learn to communicate with their residents through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Front Porch Forum (which we’re excited to have just…
Last week, VCRD hosted a “State Rural Policy Innovation Roundtable” reviewing key rural development action led by states and how this work can contribute to national rural policy. We had folks from California, Wyoming, Oregon, Vermont, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, Idaho, Arizona, Maine, Texas, Minnesota, Utah, Wisconsin, Indiana, North Carolina, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Washington…