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| Dr. O.E. Ben Lukongo speaks to St. Landry Parish residents during a Sept. 19 focus group meeting at SARDI in Opelousas, La. The event was held to find ways to support economic development within the parish. |
Baton Rouge, La. –
The Southern University Land-Grant Campus (SULGC) hosted a community focus group
at the Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Institute (SARDI) office
in Opelousas, La. on September 19, 2017.
The event was held to uncover a range of ideas, insights,
and solutions to support economic development in St. Landry Parish. This new
community engagement project was developed to improve the quality of life for
parish residents and strengthen the relationship of the Land-Grant Campus with
stakeholders within the community.
Stakeholders within the parish
participated in the focus group to share ideas, stories, experiences, and input;
while discussing and co-creating the future vision for the community.
Participants began by collectively answering questions on a focus group questionnaire
titled, “Integrating Methods of Economic Development Analyses for Economically
Distressed Communities in Louisiana.” After completing the questionnaire, the participants
were then separated into four smaller groups and collaborated with university representatives
to discuss ways to improve the community, identify issues, and discuss
alternative solutions, plans, resources and assets needed to better the
community.
The focus group was comprised of
elected officials, clergy, teachers (current and retired), medical
professionals, youth, and others who serve the community in various capacities.
SARDI’s office serves as the headquarters for this new framework of
University-Community Engagement.
The planning of the focus group
discussion was arranged by Dr. O.E. Ben Lukongo, Project Director; Dr. Tiffany
Wilkerson-Franklin, Co-Project Director; Dr. Kenyetta Nelson-Smith, Co-Project
Director; Antonio Harris, Director of SARDI and SARDI’s staff.
The SULGC research team will go back
to present the results of the focus group discussions to the St. Landry Parish
economic development stakeholders.
For additional information on how
you can assist in the implementation and execution of future focus groups,
please contact Drs. Lukongo, Wilkerson-Franklin or Nelson-Smith at 225-771-2242.
The Southern University Ag Center
and the Southern University College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences
together are called the Southern University Agricultural Land-Grant Campus.
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