Posts Tagged ‘brain drain’

ReImagining a more creative rural educational system

February 9th, 2010

Yesterday I highlighted a video interview of Richard Florida on Big Think, emphasizing the movement of creative workers to careers in industries not usually associated with creative types. 

But the bulk of his message, which I left untouched yesterday, is that we need to reimagine our educational system.  You may listen (or re-listen) to the interview in the video below. 

 

 (video source:  “Reinventing the way Workers Learn,” Big Think

Florida’s emphasis on the lack of social skill training in education reminded me of the advice Jim Beddow offered college students when he was the President at Dakota Wesleyan University back in the 1980s and early 1990s.  He encouraged students to develop skills that enabled them to: 

Jim still offers this advice to young people, and has since added a forth key; learn to network (both in personal and online).  To support his advice, Jim often cites successful individuals who embody these skills.  Two things strike me about his list of examples.  First, a great many create success outside of their chosen field of academic study.  And second, these individuals are incredibly entrepreneurial and creative. 

As regular readers recognize, I’m a former high school teacher, and am often a critic of the educational system in our rural communities.  My primary grudge is that our current educational model was developed for the industrial economy, which means we trained them to be successful in urban communities with stronger industrial economies. 

In the video interview, Florida tells us that “nibbling around the edges” of the educational system won’t develop the types of change that our country needs to grow our economy.  I would agree. 

But what does that mean for our rural communities?  Do we have to wait until business and political leaders are ready to transform education?  I hope not.

Instead, I would call on rural educators to look within their classrooms, and figure out ways that they can teach these skills to their current students.  Not only will students benefit as individuals, but I think our rural communities will benefit as well.

 

Note:  Readers may be interested in  these additional video interviews of Richard Florida on Big Think

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Posted in Economic Development, Rural, Youth, education | Comments (0)

The Creative Class, moving into new industries

February 8th, 2010

I’ve often felt that a missing part of Richard Florida’s Creative Class theory has been a lack of emphasis on creative individuals who work in non-creative industries.  For those unfamiliar, Florida believes that cities must compete for talent because individuals who belong to the “creative class” drive our economy.  In short, cities that attract talent thrive; those that don’t die.

So who are these creative workers that cities need?  Florida finds them in the fields of science, research, health care, finance, computer science and the arts, to name a few. 

His research casts an ominous shadow on rural communities, both past and future.  Historically, he finds little evidence of creative workers in rural communities.  And in the future, he sees little opportunity for rural communities to attract them. No talent, no future.   

In the following interview on Big Think, however, Florida suggests creative works are migrating to jobs not usually associated with the creative class.  

(video source:  “Reinveting the Way Workers Learn,” Big Think )

Creative workers in home repair and food processing.  Those jobs don’t sound as foreign to rural communities as computer science and research. 

In this light, rural communities are still in competition with urban areas for creative individuals.  But the question becomes, how can we help them put their creativity to work building businesses that connect to the geographic advantages each rural community possesses? 

As Florida highlights later in the interview, that process becomes easier when we reinvent our school systems.  Let’s talk more about that later. 

I’m excited to see that the Creative Class theory is growing to be more inclusive.  At the Rural Learning Center we’ve always sense creative people in our rural communities are overlooked.  Too often, however, we’ve neglected to harness and apply their creativity.

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Posted in Economic Development, Rural | Comments (2)

Brain Drain or Brain Gain: We need to learn more

February 5th, 2010

Ben Winchester’s research on “rural brain gain,” has drawn some interesting responses in North Dakota. Based on an article titled “Report suggests ‘brain gain’ instead of brain drain,” which appeared in the January 28, 2010 Grand Forks Herald and was reprinted in the January 30, 2010 Fargo-Moorhead InForum, I’d have to say North Dakotans don’t find a lot of applicability in Winchester’s research for their state.  (If you are into negative comments, you’ll want to check out the comments at the end of the InForum article.)

Does Minnesota research apply elsewhere?

The skepticism begins with North Dakota demographer Dr. Richard Rathge who questions the applicability of research about rural Minnesota compared to rural North Dakota.  As he notes, people are more inclined to move to rural places that are high in natural amenities (e.g., West Central Minnesota) than to places with few natural amenities (e.g. North Dakota).

No doubt.  USDA research supports Rathke’s assertions.

But my gut still tells me that there’s something to Winchester’s research.  I’ve personally witnessed numerous examples of people who move to Miner County to raise their children.  The number of people moving in may not be as high as that Winchester found in his study.  But they definitely didn’t move to Miner County for the natural amenities.

And that’s why Winchester’s research is valuable.  We need to better understand what groups of people are moving to rural communities, and what’s their motivation.  Just saying young people are moving out isn’t good enough.

Does the term “Brain Drain” hurt marketing efforts?

When I originally raised the question “Should we banish ‘brain drain’ from our vocabulary?” in a blog post a couple weeks ago, I was trying to figure out if the term “brain drain” does more harm (in promoting our communities) than good (in raising awareness of a problem). I’ve yet to reach a definitive answer.

Based on what I’ve read in the Grand Fork’s article, I’ve concluded that Rathge would say that the question is mute.  At the end of the Grand Forks article, he is quoted saying:

“Here in North Dakota, we’ve seen many decades of outmigration of young adults. Community builders have been talking for decades about ways to hold them, including being positive rather than negative.”

“The bottom line is we need to provide opportunities for people who want to stay. We have to be serious about economic development in North Dakota.” (source: Chuck Haga, “Report suggests ‘brain gain’ instead of brain drain,” Grand Forks Herald, 1-28-09)

It’s more than a job

Getting serious about economic development in rural communities is vitally important.  But it requires a strategy that is more complex than new business recruitment alone.

That’s what I like about the research being conducted by Dr. David Ivan with his “Can small towns be cool?” project.  The themes he identifies in his presentations (which I outline here) offer rural communities a model for rural economic development worth consideration.

So, whether it’s brain drain or brain gain in our communities, I hope we’d all agree that it is something we ought to pay attention to.

Note:  Access to the Grand Forks Herald and Fargo-Moorhead InForum articles may require individuals sign up for a free membership with Forum Communications have been archived.  I did notice it has been reprinted and can be read on the Farm Bureau site.

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Posted in Community Engagement, Economic Development, Rural | Comments (0)

OTA Sessions: Let’s make it a rural thing

February 4th, 2010

“Chris” received a gold star for his comment on my last post.  While referencing the social media presentation Lindsey and I gave to Miner County residents, Chris highlighted the OTA Sessions conference being held in Sioux Falls, SD on March 25th and 26th.

The conference looks so enticing that Lindsey and I rushed to sign up. It looks so valuable that I’m calling on other passionate supporters of rural communities to attend. 

What is OTA?

What “OTA” stands for is a mystery.  I think its secrecy is part of the organizer’s creative marketing strategy.

But the list of speakers leaves little doubt concerning the quality of the event.  Chris Brogan, Mitch Joel, Julien Smith, Spike Jones, Jonathan Harris, and Scott Monty may not be well-known in the stuffy board rooms of corporate America, but they are rock stars in the social media and creativity worlds.  Their participation alone is enough reason for me to highly recommend the conference.

But as the OTA Sessions website describes, a larger purpose serves as the conference’s backdrop:

 ”The OTA Sessions are a chance for all of us Midwesterners to shatter the perception that creativity and thought leadership live solely on the east and west coasts.”

In other words, conference organizers are calling on us to “deny the lie” that all the smart, creative people have left the Midwest.

Ah, yes.  Brain Drain. 

We’ve been talking a lot about that term lately.  I’ve questioned the idea of banishing the term from our vocabulary because it negatively portrays the reality of rural population movements.  We’ve also been talking about how we can transform small, rural communities so that fewer talented young people leave. (See this post titled “Can South Dakota’s small towns be cool“)

What about a rural Focus?

Although OTA is intended for all creative types in the Upper Midwest, I’d like to issue a special challenge that creative people in small, rural communities attend.  It will be a great opportunity for us to learn from some of our nation’s thought leaders, as well as a chance for us to network and learn from each other. 

As I stated earlier, Lindsey and I will be in attendance, both at the conference and at the networking event the evening before.  If you chose to attend, I hope you will drop us a line and help us connect at the event. 

This may be the most influential group to grace the stage of a conference in South Dakota.  Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.

Oh, heh.  I almost forgot.  Early registrants receive a discount AND 3 free books from the authors.

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Posted in Economic Development, Rural, Training and Events | Comments (3)

No vision, No resources

January 19th, 2010

Last week I had an interesting conversation on Twitter concerning a ReImagine Rural blog post I wrote titled “Should we banish ‘brain drain’ from our vocabulary.” The post focuses on Ben Winchester’s research suggesting much of rural Minnesota is experiencing an in migration of college educated adults age 30-45.

The Twitter conversation emerged when Joe O’Sullivan (@jaosullivanx) a reporter from Watertown, SD, sent me a tweet saying, “I see people here who grew up rural return 15 years later w/ degrees. Positive development, but can you bank on it?”

My response was, “B Winchester tells us that there are more who move back than we realize. But that’s also why we need (to) intentionally work at it.”  Later I sent him a second tweet with a link to a report that highlights the importance of rural communities being intentional about developing people attraction strategies. 

Joe responded writing, “I like. But it seems that communities have either a lack of vision, or resources, or both. How do you get around that?”

 

“…lack of vision, or resources, or both” 

It’s a valid point and good question.  In making the statement, I think Joe is trying to bring “reality” into the conversation about the future of rural communities.  Too many of our rural communities don’t have a vision for the future and they don’t think they have any resources.  So what do we do about it?

My mind was flooded with thoughts, which would have required a 2-3 page essay to convey; something Twitter’s 140 character limit prevents.  Instead, I paired my thoughts down to, “No doubt! And add determination. No easy answers, but I’d say use appreciative inquiry and stick with it. What do you think?”

I recommended appreciative inquiry because I firmly believe that every community has assets.  They just need to approach their vision for the future by leveraging existing assets.  In many ways that’s what we did in Miner County, and assets started multiplying exponentially. 

I also mentioned determination because community and economic development work is fraught with frustration; economic growth seldom happens in a flash.  Only those with determined community leaders emerge successfully.

I hope that my advice was good, but I realize that I’m no expert on the subject.  What works in one rural community is not universally right for all rural communities.   So, let me repost the question here:  How do you get around rural communities who lack vision and resources or both?

 

Photo credit:  BozDoz - Flickr

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Posted in Community Development, Economic Development, Rural | Comments (0)

Can we turn a desert into an oasis?

January 12th, 2010

At ReImagine Rural, we talk a lot about the transformation of rural communities because we believe that our rural economies have to be something different than they were in the ‘50s and 60’s.  We often  focus our energy  around how we can turn our rural communities into places where young people want to live. And sometimes, we look to urban resources to learn what’s most attractive.  

But while working on another project, I was recently reminded that there are dangers lurking for communities who try to become something they are not.  In her book, Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, Kathleen Norris writes:  

Making the Plains a home means accepting its limitation and not, as many townspeople do even in drought years, watering a lawn to country club perfection.  Making this all we need means accepting that we are living in an arid plains of western South Dakota, not in Connecticut (which has the rainfall to sustain such greenery) or Palm Springs (which doesn’t but has the money to pretend other otherwise).”

As Norris explains, we once tried to become something we were not by transforming the unbroken sod of the Great Plains into 160 acre farms, which the reality of our arid climate would never sustain. It’s a lesson in geography that more community leaders need to understand if they hope to lead wisely. 

But does that mean small, rural communities can’t change?  By trying to learn from urban principles that are popular with young people, are we trying to turn a desert into an oasis?

I don’t think so, and I don’t believe that’s what Norris implies.  Change is possible, but we must first understand ourselves as well as the places we call home.  Otherwise, we’ll end up as something that conflicts with the realities of our cultural geography. 

And that’s part of what Norris’ book can help us accomplish.  Norris taps into her experience as a newcomer to the small, rural community of Lemmon, SD to write this book.  In it, she provides insights into how small rural communities operate that often get missed by those who have lived in small towns their whole lives.  It’s something we can all learn from. 

Photo Credit:  Larry Page - Flickr (Al’s Oasis in Chamberlain is South Dakota’s most famous oasis.)

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Posted in Community Development, Rural | Comments (0)

Should we banish “brain drain” from our vocabulary

January 8th, 2010

In his report “Rural Migration:  The Brain Gain of Newcomers,” Ben Winchester tells us that many parts of rural Minnesota are experiencing a brain gain with new residents age 30-45 moving in.  This is a very important occurrence because rural areas tend to lose younger individuals as they go off to college. 

For those who haven’t read the report, I want to share a few insights Ben sent me via e-mail. 

First, Ben’s research leads him to believe the trend he discovered in Minnesota is widespread across the Rural Midwest, including South Dakota.  While I trust Ben’s academic prowess, I’d still like to see some research to support it.  After all, my South Dakota heritage tells me that all the good stuff happens to Minnesota and not South Dakota.

Second, he highlights a point made explicit in his report:  Over half of the residents moving to rural communities come with college degrees.  This trend has helped raise the educational attainment level of rural communities.  In other words, the communities are getting smarter, not dumber, which leads to his last point.

Finally, using the word “brain drain” to describe the rural population movement creates problems for us as we try to move rural communities forward.  As Ben writes, “the use of negative language to describe the dynamics of our small towns (brain drain, outmigration) makes it difficult to foresee a way forward for our rural people.” 

This last point is one that I’ve long agreed with.  From my economic development specialist’s perspective, using “brain drain” creates a marketing challenge.  Why would we expect outsiders to look positively at our communities when we imply that the smart people are all moving away?

But I’ve continued to use the phrase anyway for a couple reasons.  First, even though it’s negative, the phrase helps focus our attention on the issue of young people moving out of our communities.  And second, I’m not aware of a term to replace it with.  

Ben and I hope to get together sometime in the near future to discuss this and other issues.  I’m open to the possibility of banishing the word from my vocabulary.  But before I do, want to throw the topic out to our readers here at ReImagine Rural. 

Should we banish the phrase “brain drain” from our language?  And if so, how can we continue to focus attention on the need to create change in our rural communities so that they become more attractive places for young people?  What do you think?

Photo Credit:  spierzchala - Flickr

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Posted in Community Development, Economic Development, Rural | Comments (15)

Are you toiling in the urban mailroom?

December 22nd, 2009

As I mentioned in my previous post, there is a lot of insightful information in this Minnesota Public Radio virtual forum.  I shared some of the best themes and comments in that post, but I wanted to pull out one comment for publication by itself.

Late in the conversation, Jennifer Gumbel (10:52) provided the following insightful comment:

I feel I live in an area that is brain-gaining… SE MN. I’m originally from Sioux Falls and have lived in the Cities and in Des Moines. I now live in Le Roy, MN and work in Preston as an attorney. My professional and personal life is more fulfilling in many ways than my big city classmates. I have more responsibility on more interesting cases. I’m a homeowner and live next to a State Park. I have the opportunity to play part time in a symphony. I see many of my colleagues or friends who are originally from this area returning. I couldn’t be happier to be in a small town.”

Wow!  What an endorsement for rural Minnesota.

What Jennifer suggests is an often overlooked attractor to rural places:  Many talented young people who migrate to the city often end up toiling in the mailroom, while their rural counterparts are taking on real responsibilities right away.

Obviously, that’s not universal for every person and job, but it’s important to note because we know Gen Y is very interested in being given responsibility.  If I were recruiting a young person to work in a rural community, I would definitely emphasize this point.

And congratulations to Le Roy and Preston, MN.  Sioux Falls’ loss is rural Minnesota’s gain.

 

Photo Credit — libraryimages - Flickr (Preston, MN 1874 — click to enlarge)

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Posted in Community Engagement, Gen Y, Rural | Comments (0)

Hollowing out the Middle in Minnesota

December 21st, 2009

As hoped, Hollowing out the Middle is drawing some much needed attention to the issue of “brain drain” in the Heartland of Rural America. (read my past posts about the book here.) 

Recently, Kate Smith of Minnesota Public Radio interviewed Hollowing out the Middle’s co-author, Patrick Carr.  At the same time, fellow MPR employee, Mike Caputo, hosted a virtual forum with people from around Minnesota offering their ideas. 

Carr issued his usual excellent performance in his interview with Smith.  He provides insights into why young people leave and what he thinks rural communities should be doing to change it.  You can listen to the interview by following this link .  

You can also review the entire transcript from the virtual forum by following this link. What you will find is lively conversation between individuals with firsthand experience from living in rural communities. 

Unfortunately, following a conversation in a virtual forum can be a bit difficult  to follow. For that reason, I’ve attempted to lift a few key points from the transcript and organized them around three main points. 

 

Conversation Starters

First, it’s important that young people have a good experience in their community while growing up.  Carr and Kefalas talk at length about how many of the young people they interviewed for Hollowing out the Middle felt a deep connection to their community.  But this connection is not universal across individuals and communities, and it often dissipates over time.  It’s something that needs constant cultivation.  The following quotes from the virtual forum offer a sampling of ideas on how this can be done. 

I like that the conversation is about connecting with young people before they move away.  Too often, people think the retention of young people only starts after they’ve finished high school.  If that’s your community, you’re waiting too long. 

 

Second, make sure you are building a community that young people want to return to.    Many individuals on the virtual forum spoke of the importance of employment opportunities.  We definitely can never lose sight that.   But I was impressed with an insight provided by Dan Erkkila (10:10) who noted that being able to offer young people jobs is only one aspect of what makes community life fulfilling.  A community can offer all the jobs in the world, but if people don’t want to live in the community they won’t. 

Some additional comments on this subject include:  

 

And this leads me to the last point that I want to lift out of the forum:  Young people need to feel a sense of belonging to the community if we expect them to choose our rural communities.  Personally, I liked Neil Linscheid’s comment (10:30) on this subject best; “Good friends and relationships = quality of life for me.”  When making this comment, Neil was speaking more to a definition of quality of life, but he also highlights how important relationships are to a sense of belonging.  Later (10:35) he mentioned having to personally seek out community groups to get involved with because it can be tough for people who don’t frequent the bars to build relationships otherwise.

I appreciated that other individuals recognized the importance of intentionally building friendships through community involvement as well:

There’s really something to this notion that getting people involved in the community is important to attracting and retaining young people in the community.  But as the Soul of the Community study notes, it’s also important to the overall economic wellbeing of the community. 

There are a lot of other great insights offered throughout the virtual forum.  It’s a great place to start for any community seeking to address the issue of youth outmigration.

 

Photo Credit:  Mulad - Flickr

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Posted in Community Engagement, Economic Development, Gen Y, Rural | Comments (0)

4 Ways I “listen” for Hollowing out the Middle

October 26th, 2009

Today, I stumbled on a Facebook page for Hollowing out the Middle.  It appears to have been created by the book’s publishers, who intend to use it as a means of advertising the book. 

This isn’t the publishing company’s first foray into using social media as a means of marketing the book.  In fact, I first became aware of the book because of a YouTube video they produced months in advance of the book’s release — leading me to publish this post.

I’ve decided to become a fan of the Hollowing out the Middle Facebook page because I hope it will lead me to additional resources on the book’s focus - which is how rural communities can stem youth outmigration.  

Online listening is a skill that all rural leaders need to improve.  (FYI - we all need to improve our face-to-face listening skills as well.)  With that in mind, I thought I’d share a few ways that I listen for “Hollowing out the Middle.” 

4 Ways I listen for “Hollowing out the Middle”

Some may think this may be listening overkill.  But I know the list is not all inclusive.  What it does, however, is makes sure that I am able to participate in any conversation occurring online on the subject.  If you know of other ways that I should be listening, I hope you will share. 

 

Note:  Other posts about Hollowing out the Middle on ReImainge Rural can be found here. 

Photo Credit:  wonderferret -  Flickr

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Posted in Community Development, In the News, Rural | Comments (2)

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