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Village Earth

Village Earth Helps Rosebud Reservation Conduct Community-Based Census

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Above: Community members learn how to use small GPS receivers as part of their training to become census enumerators. This week a team from Village Earth and Colorado State University began training enumerators to conduct a community-based census on the Rosebud Reservation in rural South Dakota. Like many Native American Reservations and rural communities across the United States, the residents of the Rosebud Reservation feel that they have been undercounted in the Federal Census. This is a serious problem for these communities because it translates into a reduction in needed State and Federal allocations for things like housing, health care, infrastructure, and other government mandated assistance. This was the case for the neighboring Pine Ridge Reservation who, with the help of Colorado State University, Village Earth and the National Science Foundation, conducted their own census using GIS, GPS, and remote sensing technology and successfully challenged their federal census figures, nearly doubling their population. Above: Village Earth trains community members how to locate houses from the computer generated random sample using small handheld GPS receivers and map books created using GIS.

Upcoming Courses in the Village Earth/CSU Online Certificate Program in Community-Based Development

Winter II Session

GSLL 1501 – Approaches to Community Development

This course provides a framework for community development based on a participatory, bottom-up, multi-sector model. Various approaches have been used in community development with varying degrees of success. One approach that has consistently demonstrated effectiveness is the Village Earth model based on participatory practices.

Through personal and structural empowerment, the objectives of economic well-being, environmental sustainability, and socio-cultural vitalization can be met. By looking at an overview of the entire development process and using case studies, this course will prepare participants to work in the field of community development and illuminate how all of the development efforts fit together to support the overall goal of sustainability.

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:

Compare different development approaches and evaluate their effectiveness.
Understand the basic principles that underlie sustainable development.
Incorporate participatory practices into community development activities
Design a development project based on the Village Earth model
Who should take this course? This course is suited for people who are interested in community development and work or plan to work in this field. This includes people working or volunteering at NGOs, NPOs, governmental organizations, without border organizations, or missionary organizations. In addition, people involved in funding community development projects benefit from this course.

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