The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) is inviting Vermonters of all backgrounds who are working with a goal of improving life in their community to attend the 2022 Community Leadership Summit on Wednesday, August 10, at Vermont Technical College.

Registration is now open for $50 per person, with options available on the registration website for partial or no payment to register, if needed, by using promo code “PARTIAL” (for $25) or “FRIEND” (for no cost) at checkout. This is an event that is meant to be accessible to all without financial barriers. The day includes a BBQ-style lunch and a Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Party to close.

The agenda is based in part on feedback over the past two years from thousands of Vermonters about the future of our state and the need to strengthen civic engagement and tackle shared challenges together. It will also offer opportunities to build leadership skills, share success stories, and connect to and learn from community leaders of all backgrounds working to advance projects in towns across Vermont. The Summit will be an opportunity for renewal and rejuvenation as we reengage with fellow Vermonters, make new connections, celebrate community successes, talk through shared challenges, and think proactively about the future.

VCRD convened a diverse planning committee of experts from across the state to design a broad and inclusive Summit that would be useful and accessible to leaders across Vermont. The Summit agenda will include skills workshops, networking events, community project panels, and forum discussions on critical topics for Vermont’s future. Speakers and participants will represent the full diversity of Vermont community members and leaders including youth, municipal leaders, community organizers and volunteers, people with lived experience in critical challenges facing our communities, experts and technical assistance providers, regional leaders, and more.

“The success of our communities depends on local volunteers and leaders who step forward to advance a project or strengthen connections in their town or region,” said VCRD Executive Director Brian Lowe. “This summit will celebrate the great work happening at the local level, grapple honestly with challenges and opportunities we share in communities across the state, and make connections and build skills that help advance our shared work together.”

This will be VCRD’s third Community Leadership Summit. In 2018 and 2019, over 500 attendees came together each year to explore ways to support local leadership and democracy in Vermont and to develop action ideas to advance these strategies. This Summit reflects learning from these past events, will build on accomplishments and challenges in the past several years, and think forward about next stage work to support local leaders at this transformational moment in our state. VCRD is pleased to bring this opportunity of engagement to statewide leaders in-person once again and to explore next steps together.

The generous event sponsors include Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, Cabot Creamery, Efficiency Vermont, Front Porch Forum, National Life Group Foundation, Northfield Savings Bank, Preservation Trust of Vermont, The Alchemist, The Alchemist Foundation, Tillotson Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation, UVM Office of Engagement, Union Mutual of Vermont, Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont Economic Development Authority, Vermont Electric Power Company, Vermont Humanities, Vermont Small Business Administration, Vermont State Employee Credit Union, and VT Digger.

To become a sponsor, reach out to Kim Rupe at [email protected].

Register now at https://www.vtrural.org/Summit22.

For questions or more information, please visit our website at https://www.vtrural.org/Summit22 or by contacting (802) 223-6091 or [email protected].