Big Sky, Big Leadership making ripples in Wheatland County

Published: 2022
By Mandie Reed

Wheatland County MSU Extension began offering Big Sky, Big Leadership in Wheatland and Golden Valley counties in 2019. In 2022, we had the opportunity to participate in a ripple mapping exercise to identify the impacts and the ripples of the difference the program is making in the community. Big Sky, Big Leadership, is a local program offered by Montana State University Extension. Each county can adapt it to meet local needs. The program has three areas of focus: personal leadership skill development, community process and working collaboratively, and community-based experiences planned to improve participants' knowledge about the community. Through the ripple mapping process, we learned the value participants place on skills they learned and "use daily" in their personal lives, family businesses, and local leadership roles. Participants felt they were better equipped to engage in difficult conversations at a community level because of practicing in the program. This has resulted in the community finding better solutions to complex problems while maintaining working relationships. The opportunity to build relationships and strengthen community connections was one of the outcomes that participants valued most. Community members were more willing to volunteer to serve on boards or for projects, or felt they had the skills to move forward on projects. The Harlo Farmers Market and the Farm Stress Seminar were successful projects initiated by the BSBL class participants.