Don Down Under - What I learned on walkabout!

John Grace, Yasmin Chalmers and Don Macke

It was my honor to have been invited on this speaking tour (April 16 - May 2) of Victoria, Australia, hosted by Dr. Yasmin Chalmers, Director of the Centre for the Study of Rural Australia and sponsored by Marcus Oldham College, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

I was privileged to share some of the insights the Center has gained working in rural communities across the U.S. and to learn from the entrepreneurial efforts taking place in rural Australia. During this tour or "walkabout," I presented to and collaborated with community leaders, university students, the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce and many other groups throughout Victoria, Australia.

My journey began in Geelong with a workshop titled Entrepreneurship for a More Resilient Economy. I moved on to Shepparton and ended up in Bairnsdale for workshops on Developing an Entrepreneurial Community. In between these events, I had the opportunity to participate in an evening Q&A panel on Fostering Entrepreneurship in Rural Communities and Regional Economies with several business and social entrepreneurs. I also had several meetings with the folks at G21 Agribusiness Forum.

There were many highlights for me, including meeting in-person with cyber friends and colleagues as well as meeting new folks doing remarkable work. I've captured examples of this work and my insights gained during this trip in this new thought paper. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed my trip Down Under.

Our e2 University online library continues to grow. Complete packages can now be purchased from our new online store for $37 each. These resources provide practical and hands-on tools supplementing our book, Energizing Entrepreneurial Communities: A Pathway to Prosperity, which is now also available in our store. Ten e2 Resource Packages have already rolled out:

• Community Readiness
• Energizing Your Community
• Organizing for Action
• Assessment Overview
• Development Opportunity Assessment
• Entrepreneurial Talent Assessment
• Entrepreneurial Resources Assessment
• Stakeholder and Development Preferences 
• Entrepreneurial Strategies 
• Working With Entrepreneurs 

We will be releasing two more e2 resource packages: 

• June 2015 - Outreach, Intake, Screening & Referrals
• July 2015 - Tracking, Portfolios, Metrics & Stories

We can also provide you and your community customized assistance through consulting arrangement--contact Don Macke at don@e2mail.org.  

Chris Gibbons and Economic Gardening have prepared an outcomes report on EG projects across the country. This is worth the read and illustrates how Economic Gardening is contributing to entrepreneurial development in a number of American landscapes. Check out the report here. 

Partnerships in Australia

My host for my trip of the last two weeks in Victoria, Australia was the Centre for the Study of Rural Australia with Marcus Oldham College located in Geelong. We will be continuing our collaboration with this Centre and their work with communities in Victoria. We also have a preliminary understanding to partner with our old friend Peter Kenyon with Bank of IDEAS and the new Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship based out of the Beehive Project. Stay tuned for more details on these exciting and emerging collaborations in Australia.

North Carolina Rural Center

We are pleased to report that the Center has established a new partnership with the North Carolina Rural Center in support of a new rural community entrepreneurship project. The Rural Center is receiving funding from USDA Rural Development through their RCDI Program. This funding will enable a collaboration between our Center and the NC Rural Center to boost small business capacity in rural North Carolina. For more information, check out the Rural Center's latest newsletters for details.