Join in a FREE inspirational and empowering event at the Colby Community Building, on August 12, 2015,  from 10 am to 3 pm,. “Ideas Into Action” is a non-partisan workshop series aiming to inspire and activate public action around issues that matter to the those who attend. Lunch is included and will be provided by the High Plains Food Co-op.

  Colby – August 12 –View Agenda & Register Now!

This Colby event is one of four workshops in the Kansas Rural Center’s Feeding Kansas: Ideas Into Action series. Each workshop will feature presentations and an opportunity to dialogue with guest speakers working on the frontlines of positive change, for the good of the Kansas food system. After a wholesome lunch, several concurrent sessions will provide participants with strategic advocacy tools and tactics for raising awareness and creating change around the issues that matter to them.

Morning presentations and panelists include:

• Nadine Sigel, Community Vitality Specialist at K-State Extension, and Chris Sramek, agricultural meteorologist and a V.P. with the High Plains Food Coop – to provide an overview of the healthy food access environment in northwest Kansas and share stories and lessons learned from their work pioneering the development of a multi-county food and wellness council;
• Senator Tom Hawk, Colby native and lead author of the Local Food and Farm Task Force Bill – to discuss the Task Force and how the public can get involved in shaping its recommendations to the legislature;
• Cole Cottin, Kansas Rural Center – to discuss the goals outlined in KRC’s Feeding Kansas report and how participants can help make those goals a reality this year, and beyond. A summary of the report will be provided. The full report can be found at: org/Feeding-Kansas.

Afternoon concurrent sessions include:

• How to Have a Voice in Politics: Leveraging Local Coalitions to Bring about Change – Missty Lechner of the Kansas Alliance for Wellness will share information on what it takes to pull together a task force or council to empower community members to shape local policy. Participants will then be supported by Missty, KRC staff, and others in the room, as they brainstorm how to cultivate or strengthen coalitions in their own unique location and situation.
• Strategic Communication with Decision-Makers – Participants will learn to identify which decision-maker(s) have power to change a particular issue, and how best to approach the target decision-maker(s) to persuade them towards their cause. Senator Tom Hawk and County Commissioner Paul Steel will be present to share their perspective as insiders. (Other policymakers are encouraged to attend!)
• Communicating with the Media – Editor Kevin Bottrell, Goodland Star News, will guide participants through major points of communicating with reporters so that the intended message comes across clearly. Participants will receive information on how to get the media to cover an important issue or event, tips for writing an impactful “op-ed”, and more.

Other “Ideas Into Action” workshops being held across Kansas this year include:

• Dodge City – August 13 at the Western State Bank Expo Center,
• El Dorado – September 23 at the El Dorado Civic Center, and
• Manhattan – September 24 at the Manhattan Public Library.

Questions about KRC’s “Ideas Into Action” workshop series may be directed towards Natalie Fullerton, KRC Program Director, at nfullerton@kansasruralcenter.org or (866) 579-5469.

The mission of KRC, founded in 1979, is to promote the long-term health of the land and its people through community-based research, education, and advocacy that advances an economically viable, ecologically sound, and socially just food and farming system in Kansas. For more information, visit kansasruralcenter.org.