5 Things I learned at the Midwest Rural Assembly

August 17th, 2009 by Mike Knutson

Attending a conference such as the Midwest Rural Assembly is always a great experience. You get to meet new people, learn what other organizations are doing, and become inspired. And then one returns to the daily grind of work, where the learning and inspiration are often placed on the backburner.

In an attempt to not lose that inspiration and learning, I’ve written down five things I learned at the assembly.

First, I was reminded of how important it is to welcome and invite people - especially young people — into a community. Even though it shouldn’t have been funny, I broke out laughing when Neil Linscheid of Marshall, MN described how he responds to “the stare” that follows visitors whenever they enter small town cafes. We know that in most situations “the stare” is not meant to be rude, but rural residents need to remember that the stare makes visitors and new residents feel out-of-place and unwelcomed. (I wrote more about that issue here. And as for Neil’s response; he stares right back — see the above picture. )

Second, social media can be an important marketing strategy for rural communities. I have to come clean in admitting that I entered the conference with strong convictions on the subject. But it was refreshing to hear from Kelly Fuller of Plains Justice who told a story of how she chose Vermillion, SD as the home for her non-profit work in part because she connected with people of similar interests and values in Vermillion who she found through a blog. Through these connections, she and other staff members felt they had received a more authentic view of the community than if they had relied solely on community-based websites for their decision making.

Third, there are a lot of organizations doing great work for Rural America. Approximately 170 individuals attended the conference representing thirteen states and one Canadian province. The list of everyone doing great work is too long to name everyone, but I’d invite readers to check out a few of the following notable non-South Dakota organizations doing good work: Renewing the Countryside, the Heartland Center, and Northern Great Plains, Inc.

Forth, Twitter should be incorporated into more conference activities. I was very impressed when Marcie McLaughlin of Rural Policy Research Institute requested that that the audience use Twitter to ask questions of the “The Future of Rural America: Next Generation” panelists. I’m sure it felt like a barrier to conference stalwarts who feel more comfortable standing up and asking questions. But I think it opened up a new audience for question asking. Let’s face it, some people will never feel comfortable standing up in front of a crowd, and tools like Twitter can help these people be a part of the process.

Fifth, I was impressed to see people willing to take the work of the assembly home with them. During the waning moments of the assembly, attendees broke into the five areas of emphasis identified by the National Rural Assembly. I joined the Investing in our Communities group, and watched the group share their thoughts about issues that need further attention. We probably needed a little more time to fully explore the topics, but we left with areas of emphasis, issues, and an action plan identified. Even more impressive is that the group has already produced draft minutes (thanks Kirsten Gorham and Yolanda Cotteral), and is looking to continue the dialog.

That presents us with a challenge. How does the dialogue continue? How do we engage others who could not attend?

If you have thoughts on this subject I would encourage you to post them here.