WHAT WE DO
What We Do
Economic Development
Creating a portfolio of economic development tools enables a community or region to strengthen its relative position and endure shocks to the economy. CEDIK strategies for economic development include expanding existing businesses, developing regional clusters, targeting industrial attraction, developing the workforce, promoting entrepreneurship, and stimulating the creative class. Creating a portfolio of economic development tools will enable a community or region to strengthen its relative position and economic sustainability.
Community Leadership Development
When individuals can organize a group, find a common vision, build trust and shared working relationships, and facilitate action for change – they are practicing leadership. Whether you are in business, education, healthcare or public service, the skills for mobilizing change are essential. Community leadership programming through CEDIK provides skill development and guidance for groups, organizations and community coalitions who want to improve their leadership capacity.
Rural Placemaking
Placemaking is a comprehensive, intentional, wrap-around approach to community development by exploring what it means for a community to have an identity. CEDIK in cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development developed The Rural America Placemaking Toolkit to highlight the importance of placemaking in rural communities, and provide a comprehensive resource that will be regularly updated to feature new projects, activities and successes from rural America.
Arts & Design
Community Arts Extension improves the quality of life for communities and individuals in Kentucky through a multidisciplinary arts approach in education, research, and outreach, creatively engaging residents through art activities, events, public art and performances and more. Community Design, in partnership with the Department of Landscape Architecture, works with communities to address spatial planning and design needs for both urban and rural public spaces through activities, educational materials and collaborations with student designers.
Healthy Communities
CEDIK is invested in understanding environmental, social and economic factors that impact the health of all Kentuckians. We support rural hospitals through community assessments, we provide Mental Health First Aid training, and we study the systems that provide local food pathways.
