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…
The Vermont Small Business Development Center is a key partner in the Vermont Digital Economy Project. We are happy to announce their new guide, created after Irene to help businesses move forward in post-disaster situations. While the guides are meant to be used after such a disaster, reading through the checklists can also be helpful…
Lost dog found in Waitsfield, plow service recommended in Pownal, school board minutes shared in Newport, car break-in reported in Colchester, baby stroller given away in Tinmouth… and the list goes on. Everyday Vermonters use FrontPorchForum.com to connect with their neighbors and build community by sharing postings like those above with the people who live…
This article was written by Tess Gauthier, Project Coordinator at the Snelling Center The Snelling Center for Government is happy to announce the launch of a community-focused approach to engaging citizens in the redevelopment of Town websites. On Thursday, August 29th, we hosted the first forum in Wilmington, where residents attended a facilitated discussion about…
On a Tuesday night, in the upstairs rooms of the Thompson Senior Center in Woodstock, Vermont, 17 members of nonprofit organizations from Woodstock, Killington, Plymouth, Chester, and other nearby towns gathered to meet with five “social media surgeons” who would help them learn more about social media. The “Surgery” was a collaboration between Burlington…
Two months ago, we announced the Community College of Vermont (CCV) Rutland facility was going to be the first location for free highly accessible digital workforce education training delivered by project partner Microsoft. We are very pleased to confirm that the cutting-edge Microsoft IT Academy Program ® (ITA) is now available to any person who…
16 Grantees will Receive Over $750,000 in Total Funding Governor Peter Shumlin, Agency of Agriculture Secretary Chuck Ross, Agency of Commerce and Community Development Secretary Lawrence Miller, Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder, and the Working Lands Enterprise Board will announce the 1st round of grant recipients from the “Service Provider” and…
Our goal, through the Vermont Digital Economy Project, is to help Vermonters use and understand digital tools better. We know that the more technologically capable Vermonters are, the more resilient they will be in the event of another disaster. In the meantime, they will be able to use these tools to help spur economic development,…