Projects
Cowley County Economic Development Services in partnership with area business partners and volunteers hosts the fall Future Finance activity for area schools including Arkansas City, Burden, Dexter, Oxford, Udall/Belle Plaine, and Winfield. Hosted by the Winfield and Ark City High Schools this financial reality exercise is for the areas 400+ sophomores and provides insights into the cost of life! Students learn how to balance a checkbook and how maintain a personal budget while "buying" the necessities of life.
Growing Rural Business
The Growing Rural Businesses program, launched in 2012, provides practical, applied information and examples necessary for today's rural communities. The Growing Rural Businesses model is an eight-week certificate program customized for rural businesses. Participants receive a comprehensive practical approach to conducting business along with the resources needed to succeed. Experts from Wichita State University's Center for Entrepreneurship facilitate group discussions that provide insights on how to approach challenges and solve them effectively.
Growing Rural Businesses is provided through a partnership with Network Kansas. Locations are selected in E-Communities throughout the state of Kansas.
Ice House
The Kansas Ice House Entrepreneurship Program is an 8-week certificate program that develops entrepreneurial skills like critical thinking, communication, problem solving, and other key assets.Inspired by the life story of Pulitzer nominee Clifton Taulbert, the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program was created by the Kauffman Foundation as a powerful learning program designed to educate and engage participants in the fundamental aspects of an entrepreneurial mindset.
Jessica Falk is a certified Ice House trainer, contact her at jfalk@cowleycountyks.gov for more.
Leadership Cowley County
Leadership Cowley County (LCC) is the foremost organization for trusted leadership development in Cowley County. Ours is a community leadership program with the mission to equip and build capacity in people to create change in self, our community and the world.
Leadership Cowley County is committed to building social capital to address civic challenges through the following methods:
- Developing leadership skills
- Enhancing awareness of community needs and assets
- Building relationships and networks of trust
- Providing opportunities for self-reflection and personal transformation
Leadership Cowley County combines curriculum from the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) with local content and experiences to provide a transformational experience. Class members are challenged to think about leadership as an activity and are given instruction in the KLC’s four main pillars: Diagnose Situation, Manage Self, Energize Others and Intervene Skillfully.
Love, Kansas
Love, Kansas is a Pilot Program provided by the Kansas Department of Commerce. Targeting "boomerangs", or Kansans who have moved away but might now need a gentle nudge to move back to the state they love. Kansas is ranked #2 Overall State for Cost of Living in the U.S. and #3 on the Forbes- Easiest States for Saving money.
The state of Kansas has designated 95 counties as “Rural Opportunity Zones,” which means moving there comes with significant added benefits. Designated counties offer one or both of the following financial incentives for new full-time residents: Student Loan Repayment Assistance and/or 100% State Income Tax Credit.
The ROZ Program is the Rural Opportunity Zones Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program. This program helps qualifying applicants to repay up to $15,000 on their student loans over the course of 5 years when they establish a permanent residence in a ROZ county-any county in Kansas with a population under 40,000.
For more information go to https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/taxes-and-financing/rural-opportunity-zones-roz/
Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
Our spring event for student entrepreneurs, the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge Series (YEC) is in partnership with Network Kansas and area volunteers to encourage entrepreneurship through competition. This three-part competition takes place in March and has students pitch their idea to a panel of judges, create an executive summary, and present in a trade show. Students can fly solo or partner up into teams, business ideas can be completely original or an exercise in finding needs in their community and how a business can fill in the gaps!
