About Paula Jensen

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So far Paula Jensen has created 22 blog entries.

Fill Your Cup

A friend called me a few weeks ago in tears. She serves as a community leader in a progressive small town, yet the local negative narrative had her feeling down and out. Unfortunately, it had been building for a while. She was feeling alone and struggling to find any reason to celebrate her community’s successes this year.

By |2023-03-24T20:42:32+00:00December 21, 2022|News & Notes|0 Comments

Moving Toward a Stronger Community Future in Columbia, SD

What would it look like if the community was thriving?” For rural communities who ask such a powerful question, the responses may vary in scope or complexity, but one thing is certain: asking the question in the first place can be what sets some communities apart from the rest. In January 2022, the City of Columbia asked such a question, and this desire for a thriving community led them to engage with Dakota Resources.

By |2023-04-26T14:55:59+00:00December 12, 2022|News & Notes|0 Comments

Dakota Resources’ Learning Network Honors 2022 Award Winners

Dakota Resources’ Learning Network Gathering Awards Banquet in Sturgis, SD, held on November 3, 2022, three honorees received distinguished awards in appreciation for their service to their communities. This annual tradition, which takes place at the Entrepreneur Support System Learning Network gathering, allows Dakota Resources to celebrate the innovative work that is happening in rural places across the state.

By |2023-04-26T14:56:33+00:00November 15, 2022|News & Notes|0 Comments

Rural Resilience

Someone asked me recently, “Why do some rural communities “thrive,” and some don’t?” I have pondered that question many times and have produced many answers. But after much deliberation, I will reduce it to one word…resilience.

By |2023-03-24T20:48:38+00:00September 28, 2022|News & Notes|0 Comments

Theory of Change: How Our Work Supports a Thriving Rural

At Dakota Resources, our mission and vision guide our work. Our mission is to connect capital and capacity to empower rural communities, and our vision is for a thriving rural. This past year, we invested in a new infographic to help explain how Dakota Resources as an organization is focused on promoting change and moving from our mission to our vision.

By |2024-01-23T19:27:28+00:00September 28, 2022|News & Notes|0 Comments

CO.STARTERS Mitchell Graduates First Cohort of Entrepreneurs

This July, the first cohort of Mitchell, South Dakota-based CO.STARTERS accelerator program graduated from the incubator program. Eleven participants, spanning a variety of industries, participated in the ten-week core program, which was facilitated by Dr. Ryan Van Zee of Mitchell Technical College and Laura Klock, owner of Farm Life Creamery in Ethan, South Dakota.

By |2023-04-26T15:01:15+00:00September 28, 2022|News & Notes|0 Comments

An embarrassing story about community dialogue

Quite simply, community dialogue is an exchange of ideas and experiences through listening, sharing, and questioning. At its best, community dialogue is created in a safe environment where a diverse group of people gather to talk and understand each other. Community dialogue at its worst looks something like the embarrassing story I am going to share about my own community members and town board.

By |2023-02-27T15:39:16+00:00March 29, 2022|News & Notes|0 Comments

Planning for the Future: Community Coaching in Lennox, SD

Community Coaching with Dakota Resources looks different for each community, and so it should, as each community has distinct needs and priorities. For the City of Lennox, who engaged Dakota Resources in June of 2021 as a partnership with the Lennox Area Development Corporation (LADC), the priority for this growing community was to develop a comprehensive strategic plan to support Lennox’s future.

By |2023-04-25T14:53:13+00:00March 29, 2022|News & Notes|0 Comments

Survey Says Series: Opportunities to Refine Focuses for Rural Economic Development

Community and economic development work is often complex and can mean many different things. For this reason, Dakota Resources recently conducted a survey to help foster understanding of what community and economic development organizations look like and the type of work they are doing in their community. This is part 1 of a 2 part series.

By |2023-04-26T18:25:54+00:00December 17, 2021|News & Notes|0 Comments

How might embellishing your community’s success backfire?

Most passionate community leaders communicate with the best intentions and are genuinely excited about sharing publicly and celebrating success in their communities. In fact, one of the main questions I get when I coach community leaders is, “How can I encourage people in my community to get more excited and engaged in the work we need to accomplish in our town?”

By |2023-02-27T15:39:16+00:00December 16, 2021|News & Notes|0 Comments
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