As a result of a partnership developed from the NET Outdoor Recreation Working Group, team members from The Ohio State University (OSU) Extension and University of Minnesota Extension were awarded a $40,000 a grant from the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development Small Grants program to customize a curriculum. Written by the Community Development team at OSU, the Building Entrepreneur Friendly Communities program provides the resources, training, and tools to develop community capacity to better understand and support the local entrepreneurial economy. Targeted for community leaders and elected officials, the customized community curriculum is designed to help local leaders understand the contribution of entrepreneurs to their local economy and jobs.
Through the grant, the curriculum will be reviewed and customized to the Outdoor Recreation sector, especially with Gateway communities in mind. In addition, an Ohio Pilot of the customized curriculum will also be coordinated.
Team members include Lead Investigator Gwynn Stewart, Assistant Professor – Community Development at Ohio State University Extension along with the OSU curriculum team writers Myra Moss, Professor & Educator, Community Development; Nancy Bowen, Associate Professor & Field Specialist, Community Economics; and Kyle White, Educator, Community Development. Partners from the University of Minnesota Extension’s Tourism Center also include Ami Choi, Statewide Tourism Specialist and Neil Linscheid, Rural Entrepreneurship Specialist.