The Winston-Salem Foundation’s Post

Local Economic Development (LED) Core to Economic Development of SA: P1 - Community: Community plays a crucial role in local economic development as it forms the foundation upon which businesses, government, and individuals interact and collaborate. Community is key in building the following in Municipalities; • Social Capital: Communities foster social capital, which encompasses trust, reciprocity, and social networks. These elements are vital for economic development as they facilitate cooperation, knowledge sharing, and resource mobilisation among community members. • Entrepreneurship: Strong community ties can encourage entrepreneurship by providing support networks, access to mentors, and potential customers. Local businesses often thrive when embedded in a supportive community that values and promotes entrepreneurship. • Resource Mobilisation: Communities can pool resources to address common challenges and seize opportunities. Building Cooperative models where different community based trading enterprise cooperated to take on major infrastructure projects as a collective, building intergrated value chains "Value Trains like Ellis R Levember calls it" This can include financial resources, human capital, infrastructure, and knowledge. Collaborative efforts within communities can amplify the impact of economic development initiatives. • Civic Engagement: Active participation in community affairs promotes civic engagement, which is essential for sustainable economic development. Engaged citizens are more likely to contribute to local decision-making processes, advocate for their community's interests, and hold local, provincial and national policymakers and businesses accountable. • Cultural Identity and Heritage: Communities often have unique cultural identities and heritage that can be leveraged for economic development. Cultural tourism is key, Eersterust the community of my birth for instance has a rich cultural music and arts culture artisanal crafts, and hosted local festivals are examples of how cultural assets can stimulate economic activity and attract visitors. In my youth we use to organize modeling competitions around music artists like Mr Snoop, R Kelly, Boys to Man and Eersterust Idols. This help community to showcase its abundant talent. • Resilience: Strong community ties contribute to the resilience of local economies in the face of economic shocks or crises like COVID. When communities come together to support each other during difficult times, they can "bounce back" more quickly and adapt to changing circumstances. In essence, the role of community in local economic development cannot be overstated. Building and nurturing vibrant, inclusive, and resilient communities is essential for fostering sustainable economic growth and improving the quality of life for all residents in Municipalities. www.asher-group.co.za Start|Disrupt|Innovate

Oops, I did it again! I forgot to mentioned this is not because of me. Really just dreaming, of course, it's not enough. The one that really moves and makes it happens it's not me. I only probably lift a finger, but what really makes this happen, your dreams coming true it's because of the Invisible, the One that never changes, was always helping us to make the impossible, possible. "Success Principles One Bite at a Time by Allan M Dimalanta" Everything in life is a choice. So, whatever you want, you need to be, first, you need to think, live and act as if you already have it and then you'll have. How would $200,000.00 grants(average amount received by companies) change your neighborhood, your children's school, and the local economy? https://lnkd.in/gDm5z7JF Please join us, with ERC, and help companies to retain their employees, with a $26,000.00 grant/employee, due to the economic crisis because of the pandemic, thereby making the local economy stronger, and not just survived COVID, but maybe even thankful for COVID-19 because now they are thriving and growing! https://lnkd.in/gRGUMxim #economy #opportunity #opportunities #beyondthecomfortzone #beyondlimits #change #beyondexpectations #success #people #love #research

Learn practical steps on how individuals can actively contribute to economic development in their area by reading our blog. https://lnkd.in/eeQ79kvE

https://lnkd.in/dK6px83W Join us for a dynamic conversation with Antonio T. Smith Jr., the brain behind "ReSegregation," where he details his approach to blending traditional wisdom with modern technology to empower communities. Guided by Juicy Vizualz, Antonio unveils his plan to use past insights and current tech to energize local economies. It’s not just theoretical—it's a practical blueprint for action. Antonio delves into how "ReSegregation" serves as a hands-on guide, emphasizing educational initiatives that integrate cultural heritage with technological skills and the creation of community tech hubs that foster innovation. He highlights that this fusion ensures communities can thrive economically while retaining their unique cultural identities. Concluding, Antonio acknowledges challenges like the digital divide but reassures that his book provides strategies to overcome these barriers. With a focus on community involvement and continuous learning, he advocates for turning these strategies into impactful actions that drive economic independence and transform neighborhoods. #Mexitverse  #EducationForChange, #ReSegregation, #EmpowermentThroughEducation, #CommunityLearning, #AntonioTSmithJr #JuicyVizuals

As inflation and economic inequity deepen, too many Americans face financial instability and diminished opportunities. But amid these uncertainties is a path forward with transformative potential: place-based solutions. Place-based partnerships are expanding across the country, fostering economic mobility and creating local solutions to address our most pressing challenges. Now, place-based solutions are gaining more national attention — backed by substantial federal funding — underscoring the power of this approach. Last week, I had the honor of participating in The White House Summit on Capital Support for Place-Based Economic Development. The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network is one of the largest place-based movements in the country, made up of more than 70 communities working to get better, more equitable outcomes for young people. Together, these communities are working toward a collective vision of putting 4 million more young people on a path to economic mobility by 2030. This vision is what our country needs to reverse declines in economic opportunity and create strong futures for every child. Read more of my reflections from last week's Summit in my latest blog post:

Big week! Big change and we have a few thoughts here at Small Business Britain , if you are not quite out of election chat yet.... Worth staying tuned for the small biz though... Representing 99 per cent of UK business, small firms bring immeasurable value to the UK economy, society, and wider communities, as well as being at the cutting edge of innovation, creativity, and disruption. After a period of overwhelming challenge and uncertainty, small businesses up and down the land are keen to move forward with greater economic stability. We hope that this new leadership can give the UK the best possible chance by laying strong foundations for resilience, stability and growth. As part of this we hope to see greater government leadership, interventions and long-term thinking on the major issues coming down the future track for businesses– particularly climate change and Artificial Intelligence. And we need to see a real drive to boost inclusion and accessibility in entrepreneurship – particularly for disabled founders and other marginalised groups – so that everyone across this country has the same chance to reach their full potential and benefit from the transformative power of entrepreneurship. We specifically hope to see this new Government redouble on efforts to address inequality for disabled founders by taking forward The Lilac Review UK with even greater ambition, as well as the Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship Break's over.... Let's do this people. Thanks for reading.... If you have been up all night watching, I wish you a good sleep and a comfy pillow x Picture shows Mich, smiling with the long brown hair, in white t-shirt and navy jacket, standing in front of the black Number 10 Downing Street door. This in no way implies Mich is minister for anything. Just to be clear. Just excited to represent small businesses

"CED views the economy as a means to enhance the well-being and overall quality of life for ALL individuals within communities. Rather than solely prioritizing profitability and production, CED views the ultimate objective of economic activity as the well-being of individuals and their livelihood. In line with this perspective, CED planning extends beyond a narrow focus on the “economy” alone and encompasses the intersections and interactions between various aspects of our communities and the economy." The pillars of enhancing the well-being and overall quality of life for all individuals within a community are job creation (increasing the number of high paying jobs to as great a number as possible across all socio-economic levels), business stimulation (as many different types of businesses as possible and stimulating new business start-ups), and creating an educational elevator with skill-building, career-development educational programs from high school, to trade schools, to universities. This is the vision necessary for a community truly interested in providing the best environment for its citizens.

Getting clearer on what it takes to drive equitable outcomes is key as we support the #CradleToCareer Network toward putting four million more young people on a path to economic mobility by 2030. Our Theory of Action™ guides cradle-to-career partnerships through essential steps toward transforming systems so that all youth have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential, #CradleToCareer. We've recently launched a new iteration of the Theory of Action. See three insights that helped guide the revisions: https://hubs.li/Q02HxP9w0

https://lnkd.in/dG9Vqj3m Join us for a dynamic conversation with Antonio T. Smith Jr., the brain behind "ReSegregation," where he details his approach to blending traditional wisdom with modern technology to empower communities. Guided by Juicy Vizualz, Antonio unveils his plan to use past insights and current tech to energize local economies. It’s not just theoretical—it's a practical blueprint for action. Antonio delves into how "ReSegregation" serves as a hands-on guide, emphasizing educational initiatives that integrate cultural heritage with technological skills and the creation of community tech hubs that foster innovation. He highlights that this fusion ensures communities can thrive economically while retaining their unique cultural identities. Concluding, Antonio acknowledges challenges like the digital divide but reassures that his book provides strategies to overcome these barriers. With a focus on community involvement and continuous learning, he advocates for turning these strategies into impactful actions that drive economic independence and transform neighborhoods. #Mexitverse  #EducationForChange, #ReSegregation, #EmpowermentThroughEducation, #CommunityLearning, #AntonioTSmithJr #JuicyVizuals

Community and economic development projects have impact well beyond just the new taxes generated. Check out the article below to learn more!