February 6, 2024
Extension Program Specialist Highlight: First Impressions
First Impressions is a method of community assessment offered by K-State Research and Extension’s Community Vitality Team. Since 2015, more than 135 communities have completed a First Impressions assessment; an additional 19 are in process.
This assessment gives communities a look at themselves through the eyes of outside visitors who are reporting their observations as potential residents, business owners, and tourists. City councils, chambers of commerce, and Kansas Community Empowerment groups can use these results to identify projects and needs in the areas of improvement, preservation and creation.
Communities of all sizes -- from a town of 35 like Wilmore to a neighborhood in a larger city like Salina -- can benefit.
There’s no fee to participate and it’s easy to get started, though the full assessment process does take some time. On their own, or with the help of a local extension agent, a group or city council fills out an application, available online.
Three or more volunteers willing to visit a partner community are identified, along with a primary contact, and the mayor’s signature is obtained so that the city is aware they are participating in the First Impressions program.
Once the application is received, we work to find a community match. This assessment involves sending volunteers to visit the partner community which is similar in size and within a driving distance of about two hours. Volunteers are trained to assess parks, city offices, businesses, infrastructure, churches, customer service and more.
Once their reports are submitted, a presentation of the results including photos of their findings is shared at a public meeting.
This type of work is very gratifying to me because it gives me an opportunity to help communities choose a place to start their improvement efforts. We hear of population decline or the need for neighborhood revitalization and residents indicate they don’t always know where to start.
Additionally, if you’ve lived somewhere for any amount of time, it’s not uncommon to fail to see certain things anymore – things an outsider may pick up on right away such as street conditions, slow or unfriendly service at a restaurant, declining property conditions, confusing signage and more. I’ve seen communities improve their websites, bring in customer service training for their local businesses and government offices, and paint buildings downtown based on their results.
Having an assessment like this isn’t a one-and-done thing, and I’m happy to assist by using the resources from my role as Kansas Community Empowerment co-coordinator or flex my research skills to identify potential grant and funding sources for communities. If there’s interest in addressing community needs, sometimes a group can be formed locally, if one doesn’t already exist, to start addressing identified issues.
Kansas Community Empowerment is a program that is a possible next step for organizing. Requesting a grant search for replacing playground equipment or improving the library based on First Impressions findings is also something I’m happy to do.
First Impressions has also given me the opportunity to work across state borders and see how another system delivers the program by partnering with UNL Extension to pair Hays, Kansas with Kearney, Nebraska.
With more opportunities like this on the horizon, and communities looking to participate for a second time to find out if their efforts had the desired effect and identify what they should work on next, I’m looking forward to the coming months of working across the state. --Jan Steen, extension specialist, community vitality