Albert Lea is partnering with the University of Minnesota Extension for a program that focuses on recruiting and retaining new residents.

The Make it Albert Lea kickoff will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Edgewater Bay pavilion.

It will utilize tools from a program called Marketing Hometown America to create a positive conversation about what the community can offer to newcomers, according to the University of Minnesota Extension website. It then helps community members to create an action plan to do so.

Through the program, Extension educators and local leaders work together for six to nine months.

The process involves study circles meeting four times in the coming months. These groups will take an in-depth look at the community, including what makes it a good place to live and ideas to make it greater.

The Extension website states the program will help communities:

• Look at the community through newcomers’ eyes.
• Discover overlooked assets that can attract new residents.
• Create positive conversations that can lead to effective community marketing.
• Create a quality of life that is attractive to newcomers and current residents.
• Nurture a welcoming spirit.
• Carry out an action plan for the future.