Jefferson County is set to welcome a nine-month Montana State University Extension course next year to help enable rural leaders to drive community change.
MSU Extension’s Madison and Jefferson County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent Keelena Miller proposed the initiative to the County Commission at its Nov. 25 meeting. The program, Big Sky, Big Leadership, has been implemented in 13 Montana counties and aims to “build the skills of community-based leaders so they can work more effectively for positive change in their community”, according to its webpage.
The classes would rotate between Jefferson and Madison County, which already agreed to participate, allowing for cross-county collaboration as participants explore various issues.
The program first launched in 2021 in Broadwater County, where 100% of the first cohort of participants felt the program improved meeting effectiveness, while 86% felt they had become better leaders. The monthly course helped advocates and officials explore community issues, develop leadership skills, and connect with other changemakers.
Speaking to the County Commission, Miller described the program as a “rave success” in Broadwater. Group projects included a library open house, a nonprofit meet and greet, a First Responders’ Appreciation Day, a food pantry, and revitalizing a park and tennis courts.
“It’s been extremely well received,” Broadwater County MSU Extension Agent Allison Kostosaid in an email, citing the program’s impact thus far. “Evaluations consistently show that participants are increasing understanding of community and county issues, improving self-awareness around leadership topics, and building community networks and relationships.”
The Broadwater course takes place one Friday each month, involves classroom and field elements and costs $180 for the nine-month run. The shared Jefferson-Madison course would cost around the same amount, run from September to May, and rotate its learning locations between the two counties.
The curriculum is meant to reflect community needs and may include local excursions to provide additional insight. Some applicants may be eligible for a scholarship or financial aid, which Big Sky, Big Leadership has provided to past students.
Issues covered will include generational differences in the workplace, conflict management, emotional intelligence, and how to avoid burnout. These topics may call to mind a New York City board room, but they are just as vital in rural areas and small communities. Big Sky, Big Leadership aims to cultivate professional collaboration in places often overlooked for this sort of training.
“It’s always been said, ever since I’ve been in government, that 90% of the work out in the community gets done by 10% of the people,” said Cory Kirsch, Jefferson County Commissioner for over 10 years.
He’s seen firsthand how local leaders, especially when they wear multiple hats, can burn themselves out.
“We have a lot of needs, whether it be the fire department, the planning board,” said Kirsch. “All those different things that we need to keep the county running smoothly gets pulled from a few amount of people.”
MSU Extension connects faculty and specialists to communities across Montana to provide workshops, training, and reports to boost 4-H youth development, agriculture, natural resource conservation, and economic development. A wide variety of age groups and professions have taken part in and benefited from Big Sky, Big Leadership, according to MSU Extension.
“People really enjoy it,” said Miller. “They also kind of get to know each other and kind of build community through working with people and building their leadership skills.”
Kirsch and his fellow commissioners hope the coming Jefferson-Madison course will boost the skills of current leaders and encourage more young people to get involved.
“The people that are in those roles now are very valuable, because they’re in there, they’re doing it,” Kirsch said. “[We’ll do] anything to support these folks that are stepping up to be the leaders.”
