
Pictured, Garrett Whipkey holds his certificate for completing the NC Rural Center’s Homegrown Leaders program that was held in Kinston, NC. He works as the assistant for State Representative Garland Pierce.
Courtesy Photo
One of Sampson County’s own, Garrett Whipkey, was recently honored with a certificate for completing his stint as part of the NC Rural Center’s Homegrown Leaders program.
That program is a three-day training aimed at helping leaders develop the skills to advance economic development in their respective communities. Whipkey participated in the program that was held in Kinston between Sept. 10-12, where he trained in economic development and leadership in rural North Carolina.
”I was so impressed that it took place at the community center in Kinston,” Whipkey said about his experience. “I was also very impressed with how a very nice facility was. Being there, it tied right into a lot of the subjects in the conference, itself, which dealt with economic development in rural areas.”
“I found that really enlightening. Just to get a little tour of the community center in Kinston, and just seeing how state of the art a lot of the facilities were, that was amazing. It gave me ideas for how things like that might be developed in Sampson County and other places.”
The Homegrown Leaders, according to www.ncruralcenter.org, is designed and developed by the NC Rural Center, and equips community leaders with needed long-term skills for economic development in their related region. Its main focus is teaching the tools to gain an understanding of the importance of resiliency and a regional lens for both building long-term solutions to common problems and innovative opportunities for growth.
”I think a standout activity of the conference was where we were able to have a mock situation where we created a town,” Whipkey explained. “We developed our own rural town that was fictional and it had its own problems, such as reusing dilapidated buildings, what kind of industry was already predominant in the town that we could take advantage of and how we could tie that together to create more opportunities for as many people as possible.
“That was very eye opening, because you were able to draw parallels between that and similar resources you have in Sampson County, as well as with similar resources you have in bigger places like Raleigh, but certainly in rural areas.”
Some of the programs other objectives included:
• Building relationships by networking with other leaders from the region.
• Learn and apply skills needed to address current and emerging critical issues and economic trends that will impact the future of their communities and regions.
• Economic development — Participate in an in-depth examination of the building blocks of community economic development; receive an analysis of current data and regional economic trends; and take part in an exploration of critical local/regional economic development issues and opportunities.
• Leadership development — Learn collaborative leadership skills; explore emotional intelligence; and learn strategies for working with others and leading in difficult conversations.
• Economic impact of racial inequity — Engage in an analysis of the historical impact of social structures and power relationships on specific economic issues, social conditions, and marginalized populations; and participate in an in-depth conversation on how rural community leaders can eliminate barriers and expand opportunity for the future economic well-being of all rural North Carolinian’s and their communities.
”I would highly recommend conferences like this to anyone who’s interested in leadership in rural North Carolina and improving rural North Carolina,” Whipkey said. “I think the single greatest thing I took from this conference was being able to network, specifically, with leaders across eastern North Carolina … not western North Carolina or central North Carolina but mayors, legislators, government officials and nonprofit leaders from eastern North Carolina.
“You really are not aware, sometimes, of how many wonderful connections there are out there,” he added. “And again, the resources in terms of the wonderful, smart, talented leaders who already exist. And so, I think the number one takeaway from that conference was the people I met. Being in a place where now we know each other, and we can trade information, create kind of a synergy and create a lot more progress than we would be able to if we were just working alone.”
Learn more about the program at the NC Rural Center’s Homegrown Leaders website, www.ncruralcenter.org/homegrown-leaders/.
Reach Michael B. Hardison at 910-249-4231. Follow us on Twitter at @SamsponInd, like us on Facebook, and check out our Instagram at @thesampsonindependent.