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Has your rural community settled into compliance?

March 5th, 2010

Seth Godin wrote an interesting post last week that I’ve been mulling over since I read it.  His post, titled “It’s easier to teach compliance than initiative,” highlights how schools have perpetuated compliance (instead of initiative) because it is easier to teach and easier to test for.  In other words, compliance is the easy way out.

I think the same is true for our rural communities.  Many of our small towns have laxidasically watched as economies have faltered, people have moved, and Main Streets have emptied.  That’s what the road of compliance looks like. 

My analogy of how this plays out in rural communities looks something like this:

Small town economies are like a large boulder rolling down a hill.  It doesn’t take anyone’s time or effort for the boulder to continue rolling down the hill.  But, if you recognize that rolling down the hill isn’t the right path for the boulder and you want to change its course, it takes a ton of effort.  First, you have to stop the boulder.  Then, you have to push the boulder up the hill.  It takes time, effort, strategy, people. And initiative. 

The goal of initiative is changing the momentum; whether it’s a boulder rolling down a hill or changing the economy of your community.  Compliance, or looking the other way, is the easy path, but it is probably not the path of success.

So, what path do you choose: the path of compliance or the path of initiative?  As Godin points out, today’s economy rewards those with initiative. 

Photo Credit:  Rita Willaert, Flickr

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How is your community’s agenda established?

October 30th, 2009

I recently stumbled on an idea that won’t let go of me.  I love those kind of ideas-something I can’t ignore, even if the Swedish side of my brain is telling me ‘no, not another project.’    So, here it is. 

The town of Harrisonburg, VA has started something called the Harrisonburg Summits  to create intentional opportunities for public conversation around important issues facing the community.  The idea in and of itself isn’t new.  What puts it over the top, in my mind, is the use of Open Space Technology. 

What’s Open Space Technology?

I first learned about Open Space Technology at an Art of Hosting training sponsored, in part, by the Rural Learning Center.  The RLC understands that conversation, and the ability to host conversation, is a critical need in our rural communities.  Open Space is one tool we use to do that.  At its most basic, Open Space is a facilitation process that allows meeting participants to create the agenda around a specified topic based on what’s most important to the people in the room.  Several conversations are hosted at one time, and people can choose to participate in whichever is most interesting to them.   There is a lot more to it, but the premise that it genuinely allows the voices of those in the room to influence the outcome is most important here.  This is vital if your goal is to engage people both in conversation, and then in the work that follows. 

See what Harrisonburg residents think of the process in the video below. 


 

The importance of involvement from the start.

Why is it so important to engage people in the process of creating the agenda?  I think the answer begins and ends with one principle: people care more about ideas and projects that they feel a part of.  Gone are the days when a city leader can come to a group of people with a project identified and execution planned, and simply ask for their help in doing the work.  People want to feel more a part of the process, and their ownership is fundamental to getting the project completed.  That ownership is one of the reasons why the community building work in Miner County has been so successful; people’s individual ideas and passions became the community’s ideas and passions.  And they were willing to work hard to make things happen.

The Harrisonburg Summit webpage indicates that the summit started as a one-time project. They indicate that it continued because “the event was so successful.” What I would surmise is that the summits have continued because it has created a renewed sense of ownership and contribution for residents.  They have become a part of something that matters. 

If your community is looking for a meaningful way to engage residents, I think the Harrisonburg model is something to consider.

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Getting the Right Start in Pepin, WI

October 15th, 2009

Early this week, I had the opportunity to pack my suitcase and head to Pepin, Wisconsin.  Lydia Gnos, the elementary school principal in Pepin, and I met at a conference almost 2 ½ years ago where I shared the story of Miner County’s transformation.  The story resonated with her, as it does with many people, and she had kept Miner County’s story in her back pocket as she explored starting a community dialogue project in Pepin. 

Monday was the official launch of the Pepin-Stockholm Community Dialogue Project, and I was privileged to be a part of that start.  Sharing how dialogue transformed our community is just one of the ways we can help rural communities as they begin to reimagine their rural places. 

I am excited for Pepin.  The people there care deeply about their community (as evidenced by a great turnout of the “Key Communicators”) and realize that talking and listening to each other about their future is the first step. 

The presentation slides from the presentation, in addition to narrative about key concepts, are below.

Building Community Through Dialogue
View more documents from Rural Learning Center.

I think there are a few concepts that stand out as I think about starting the hard work of a community dialogue project in Pepin.  They include:

Handprints.  As communities look to change their future, recognizing the individual and collective role of our actions is key.  Our actions got us where we are.  The good news?  If you can see how you impacted the current state of your community, you have the agency to change it!

Community Capitals.  Cornelia Flora and Jan Flora have described our communities are a series of buckets, or capitals.  If we just fill one, our boat will capsize.  We need to pay attention to each area, and make sure we measure how our decisions impact our whole community.  Strengthening social capital (through projects like the dialogue project in Pepin) is a necessary first step.  Learn more about the community capitals here.

Involve young people.  Youth are vital in the process of transforming a community for several reasons: they can say what needs to be said (and question why things are the way they are) and they are typically not hindered by the prospect change.  In addition, it is important to involve youth in meaningful work in the community before they leave if you hope they will return someday (creating attachment starts with giving them a purpose in the community). 

As for the folks in Pepin, keep me posted on how your dialogue is evolving.  These are the days that will define your future!

See more photos of my trip on Flickr here!

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Highlights from Hill City

October 7th, 2009

Last week I had the opportunity to spend four days with the folks in Hill City. SD during a design:SD charrette.  I say opportunity for several reasons: it is a special thing when a community invites a team in and believes they will produce something they need, and it is awesome when fifteen individually talented strangers at the start become friends lending their talents towards a common goal. 

The experience always leaves me with new impressions, ideas, and hopes.  Project Hill City was no different.  Below is an unedited, incomplete, and completely biased view of my impressions in Hill City.  I hope my mates will fill in where I’m off track. 

Preserve What’s Special

The folks in Hill City continually shared that preserving the “feel” of Hill City was top priority.   Naming what that feeling is was a bit more difficult; everything from unique character, charm, history, arts, natural beauty, and the list goes on. 

The point is, there was something special to capture about Hill City that is different than the next community, but that each community has (or should develop) that same sense.  Figuring out how to put words to it will help you make decisions regarding your community brand and design. 

Unintended Consequences

During our learning studio, we heard that some Hill City residents desired an events center: a place where people could be housed and entertained in one convenient location. 

What the design team realized is that Hill City is already an events center. Adding a separate events center  (likely to be located on the fringes of the community or out of the city limits altogether) may actually detract from the culture Hill City is trying to create.  Our recommendation is to use existing places and spaces to meet the needs of events that will be held in Hill City.

Tourists and Residents Have Different Needs

Who are you going to plan for? Understanding how residents and tourists use your community differently may help guide a comprehensive plan.  One example is of this is shared in the video below.

Matt’s point is this:  parking needs are different for residents than they are for tourists, so plan accordingly. 

Design Impacts Community

Hill City has been able to reinvent its downtown area due to the influence of the arts.  Several prominent artists house galleries in Hill City, and dozens more display their works in the galleries and shops along Main Street.  I think it is no coincidence that the community describes itself as able to work together well.  Downtown places, and the interaction that they encourage, help residents build social capital, contributing to a community’s ability to get along.  (sort of like the “third places” Mike keeps talking about)

 

 

 

These are just a few of the highlights I’ve come away from Hill City with.  All of the design:SD boards are available for viewing below.  I’d be interested in what you think!

DesignSD - Hill City Boards
View more documents from Rural Learning Center.

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Citi Foundation Invests in Rural America

September 10th, 2009

The pomp and circumstance of last week’s groundbreaking at the Rural Learning Center has officially passed.  The last of the cake is eaten, and the office is looking a bit more orderly.  What we’ve failed to communicate, I think, is what the day really represented for the Rural Learning Center as an organization, for Howard as a community, and for rural people as a whole.  It wasn’t just an event to celebrate a new building; it was the beginning of something entirely new.   

Just a month or so ago, we received a call from Jerry Nachtigal with Citibank, SD.  We had applied for a Citi Foundation grant just two months prior that would help the Rural Learning Center jump start a renewable energy jobs and education program in our new facility.  Jerry was calling to let us know that our grant application had been approved, and that we would soon be receiving $250,000 from Citi Foundation.  Remarkable.

To top it off we learned that Pam Flaherty, President and CEO of Citi Foundation (NY), would be traveling to Howard to present a check to the Rural Learning Center during our groundbreaking celebration.  Citi Foundation decided to invest in the future of Howard, Miner County, and South Dakota as a whole, helping us create a more sustainable future for the entire nation.  Watch the video below to hear to what Pam and Citibank, SD had to say at the groundbreaking.

 We are extremely excited about what this investment means.  For the Rural Learning Center, it means that we have the resources to launch an innovative renewable energy jobs training program and a “science to the sidewalk” community education program around rural sustainability.  For the community of Howard, it means that economic decline is a thought of the past and that the future is looking bright and green.  For South Dakota, it means that our neighbors and friends will be able to learn new skills in emerging industries where they can earn living wage jobs with benefits to support their families. 

We are excited to share the investment that Citi Foundation has made, whether you attend a renewable energy job training class, visit our facility a year or so from now or simply watch what we’re up to from afar.  We’d like to think we’re all better off.  Thanks, Citi Foundation!

 Photo Credit:  Paul Higbee.  More photos of the groundbreaking can be found on the RLC Flickr Stream. 

 

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A Remarkable Event, for Rural Places Everywhere

August 28th, 2009

The Rural Learning Center is celebrating the beginning of a new phase in their history next week.  On Wednesday, September 2nd the Rural Learning Center will break ground on the Maroney Rural Learning Center.  The center will house renewable energy and rural community training space, a restaurant, kitchen and hotel in a certified LEED Platinum building, all on Howard’s Main Street. 

The Maroney Rural Learning Center is part of the ongoing, strategic work of the Rural Learning Center, which has been working in Howard and surrounding Miner County for the past 15 years on economic development, housing development, and growing capacity of local leaders and organizations.  The expanded facility will allow the Rural Learning Center to host community based groups who come to learn about community development and an innovative renewable energy job training program, specifically.  Additional uses for the facility include space for local gatherings and rural conferences/ trainings.

The groundbreaking program will feature partners of the Rural Learning Center, including Pam Flaherty, President and CEO of Citi Foundation, Ken Stork, President and CEO of Citibank South Dakota, Kevin Walker, President and CEO of the Northwest Area Foundation, and Bob Sutton, President of the South Dakota Community Foundation.  Pam Flaherty (Citi Foundation) will present a $250,000 grant to the Rural Learning Center specifically in support of their efforts to building the Maroney Rural Learning Center and the renewable energy job training program. 

Event details follow.  We hope to see you on Wednesday!

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The 3 R’s of Renata Rafferty

July 15th, 2009

I had the opportunity to hear Renata Rafferty speak about the role and mission of nonprofits last Friday at the first of the South Dakota Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Convenings.  Renata is a nationally known philanthropic consultant, author (her latest book is titled “Smart Generosity: Everything You Need to Know About Charity, Philanthropy, and Giving Wisely” ) and tell-it-like-it-is speaker. 

She framed her message to nonprofits in the room through what she terms “the 3 R’s”:  refocus, reach out, and recognize that all philanthropy is personal.   What I enjoyed most about her presentation was that although she was speaking to an audience of nonprofit leaders, her message is relevant to communities and businesses as well.  It is time to get back to the basics. 

1. Refocus. Renata shared that while it is easy to be distracted with new philosophies, technologies, and methodologies, what really matters is the work you do every day to help people in your community. Ask yourself: what are we really trying to do and why does it matter?

2. Reach out. Philanthropy isn’t a one organization game, and we best serve our communities when we reach out to other nonprofits that are doing great work. Renata suggests that the capacity often exists to make change-we may just need to think about it differently. Ask yourself: how can we best make change together?

3. Recognize that all philanthropy is personal. People care where their money goes, and they care that it is helping to make change in the world. Renata reminds us that if we want to engage people in change we have to show them we’re making change. If we reach donors hearts, minds and hands first, the financial investment is more likely to follow. Ask yourself: how am I engaging volunteers and potential donors in our work?

The work of building successful community is, at its most fundamental level, much like the work of building successful nonprofit organizations.  Refocus.  Reach out.  Recognize that it’s personal.  It makes sense, too.  If we are focused on what really matters, working with others to get there, and meeting volunteers and community members where their passions lie, anything is possible.

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Why growing entrepreneurs might be your community’s best bet

May 14th, 2009

Entrepreneurial growth is what your community needs! 

Yes, I’m being a bit bold, but I think this issue of entrepreneurship in community development deserves strong assertion.  The economic benefits of entrepreneurs are well documented. The US Small Business Administration reports that 44% of new jobs are created by startup companies compared to 55% from existing firms and 1% through relocation.   Further, startup firms create approximately 70% of new economic growth (Source:  What are the economic benefits of entrepreneurship, Extension 2008).  These facts, along with recent news from the Kauffman Foundation that indicates entrepreneurship did not lag in the current recession, mean that nurturing entrepreneurs is a strategy your community needs to consider. 

Beyond Economics

Growing entrepreneurs in your community is about more than economics.  Released in April 2009, the World Economic Forum’s Global Education Initiative report titled Educating the Next Wave of Entrepreneurs highlights the positive role that entrepreneur education and an entrepreneurial environment can have on community. 

Entrepreneurship education is about developing attitudes, behaviors and capacities at the individual level. Inherently, it is about leadership. It is also about the application of those skills and attitudes which can take many forms during an individual’s career, creating a range of long-term benefits to society and the economy.

An educational system (whether formal or informal) that nurtures entrepreneurs is simultaneously nurturing the community by building leaders, risk takers, and those who can turn ideas into action. 

The Role of Young People

The natural place to begin developing entrepreneurs in your community is with young people.  The attributes of young people are similar to the attributes of entrepreneurs.  And, young people are interested.  In 2007, the Kauffman Foundation surveyed young people about their interest in entrepreneurship. They found that 40% of young people already have or would like to start a business someday ( click here for the full story). 

Market place for Kids is one program ‘growing young entrepreneurs’ in the Midwest.  With eight regions across North Dakota, the program encourages students to explore entrepreneurship through classroom learning and hands on development of an idea that they think, develop, and build to showcase in a Marketplace.  You can watch videos of students explaining their inventions here.  My personal favorites are Smelly Sponge Brush, Learn 2 Lead Dog Leash, and the Wake Up Call Pillowcase.

At the end of the day, if we want both our communities and young people to succeed, we should be exploring entrepreneurship as a way to accomplish both.  If your community is already implementing some kind of entrepreneurship education program, please share! 

 

Note:  There are many other programs out there to help you develop young entrepreneurs in your community.  This fall, I highlighted the ESI: EntrepreneurShip Investigation curriculum produced by University of Nebraska Extension.

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design:SD — What does branding have to do with design?

April 3rd, 2009

During the recent Design:SD charrette in Deuel County, I continually found myself asking the various communities who were represented (there are eight: Clear Lake, Gary, Altamont, Astoria, Brandt, Goodwin, Toronto, Lake Cochrane) a single string of questions.

What is your community’s niche?  What makes you special and different than the other communities in Deuel County?

Not surprisingly, this question was a bit difficult for people to answer.  Not because the communities aren’t unique, but because they simply haven’t taken the time to really think about what those things are.  I think the answers to those questions are intrinsically related to branding. 

Branding can be a really difficult concept to understand, and even more difficult to execute.  But it doesn’t have to be.  If you can answer the question above, you’re well on your way to identifying your community’s brand.  Of course there are other elements you will consider as you dig in, but the basics come back to knowing who your community is and being able to communicate it to others. 

So, what does this have to do with Design:SD?  

Design:SD always tries to start with the strengths of the communities as they currently exist.  Knowing your strengths (the foundation of your brand) gives the design team a solid foundation to build upon. 

A strong brand can also help your community decide what’s most important to work on first.  It can help you understand what elements need to stay because they build character and make your community unique, and what elements need to go because they detract from it. 

So, if you’re reading this post and aren’t sure where to start in your community, I’d challenge you to answer the questions above and begin focusing on those ideas and projects that build a stronger sense of who your community is.  I don’t think you can go wrong when you begin there. 

Photo Note:  The Deuel Design Team digs in to identify the boards that they will produce for the Deuel County community.

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Design:SD Heads to Deuel County this Week

March 23rd, 2009

The folks in Deuel County can expect a little extra excitement this week.  A group of 18 architects, landscape architects, engineers, planners, and community development professionals will spend three days in Deuel at the end of this week (March 26-28) for Design: South Dakota. 

Design: South Dakota, now in its third year, is a is a new way to help rural communities across South Dakota create a better future by design, where architects, engineers, planners and community developers volunteer to help South Dakota’s small towns gather and illustrate ideas for their future.

 The 3-plus day design:SD event, called a “charrette,” is described by project leaders as a “mixing bowl” of local knowledge, ideas and visions for the future, with the expertise and experience of professionals from outside the community. 

The Deuel County community has been preparing for the event since the fall of 2008, when they were selected as the next Design: SD community.  Recently, Deuel Area Development (a local non-profit development corporation) has hosted a series of roundtable discussions leading up the charrette.  The topics have included:  agriculture, main street business, healthcare, recreation, young families, and uses for the former school for the blind property.  The information harvested from these conversations was sent to Design team members to help them prepare and understand the community a bit before the three day event.

“The design charrette is the shortest portion of the process, when you consider the work that must be done before and after the event,” said Joe Bartmann, co-leader of the d:SD, Project Deuel County.  “The ideas that are illustrated have, in many ways, been long in the making for a community-and when the design team leaves it is up to the community to follow-through and make the ideas a reality.” 

Mike Knutson and I will be among the Design team for Project Deuel County, so watch for live updates and pictures from Deuel later this week!

If you’re a Deuel County resident, or simply interested in learning more about Design:SD, you’re invited to several community events during the charrette.  Events, times, and locations are listed below.

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