Rally SWVA
Real Action Leadership Learning is building community leadership capacity and reinforcing collaborative, entrepreneurial communities across the region. A strategy of the Opportunity SWVA initiative, Rally SWVA is an action learning mini-grant program that engages community leaders in working together to make their community a better place for small businesses.
The program provides the community with a $3,000 grant for a project that advances the community vision and supports business development. The Rally SWVA process provides positive coaching, leadership development activities, and facilitated discussions that emphasize goal setting based on a shared vision, consensus building, outcome measurement, and moving from talk to action. Within a few months, community members achieve something together toward their shared revitalization goals and then celebrate it (the Y is for YAY!).
Kicking off in summer 2015, the program has worked with 17 vibrant Southwest Virginia communities:
Big Stone Gap, Chilhowie, Cleveland, Coeburn, Damascus, Dante, Dungannon, Gate City, Haysi, Honaker, Lebanon, Narrows, Norton Pocahontas, Richlands, St. Paul and Tazewell.