Posts Tagged ‘brain drain’

You gotta get out of this place

August 27th, 2010

We’ve all heard stories from people who say their parents encouraged them to leave rural South Dakota.  But yesterday, I heard a story from a gentleman whose response is worth remembering.

The story began like most with a mother telling her son “You’ve got to get out of here so that you don’t have to pitch ’sh^#’ anymore.” 

The son listened, leaving the farm in northern South Dakota for a life in the health care field. But years later the son returned to share some wisdom with his mother saying, “You know mom, I’ve learned it’s the same old ‘sh^#’ no matter where you live.  Some of it just smells worse.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Launching a book read on Hollowing out the Middle

The above story was only one of many shared by participants at yesterday’s launch event for a “book read” of Hollowing out the Middle.  Led by Dr. Gary Aguiar and Dr. Merideth Redlin from South Dakota State University, the event brought together residents from Howard and surrounding communities who are concerned about youth outmigration.  Structured as discussion, much of the conversation focused on the impact parents, educators, and community members have on the youth outmigration. 

In a short interview following the discussion, I asked Dr. Aguiar why SDSU was helping to organize “book reads” in rural communities across South Dakota.  You can hear his answer to this and other questions in the video below.  I’ll just highlight, however, that the events lead up to a symposium with one of the book’s authors, Patrick Carr, in Brookings on Oct. 5-6.

 

What’s next?

There was a lot of good conversation at the event, but what impressed me most was the desire of the participants to continue to learn about the issue.  At one point, a participant from a neighboring community asked “How can I get a discussion like this started in my town?”  Dr. Aguiar said he would try to help any communities who are interested, but it probably wouldn’t be until later this fall or winter.

An alternative would be to grab a few friends, copies of the book, and then announce a time and place for a book discussion. It doesn’t have to be a big group.  Just try to keep the conversation and ideas churning.

I’d also recommend attending the symposium at SDSU on Oct. 5-6.  The best place for ideas and action to originate is from within our local communities, but our individual efforts can be amplified if we network across communities. And it will be a great opportunity to hear from the book’s author as well.

If you have any other thoughts and ideas on how we can deepen the conversion on brain drain, feel free to post a comment or drop me a line.  I’d love nothing more than to eliminate the phrase, “you gotta get out of this place” from our rural vocabulary.

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

Talent attraction: If its right for Sioux Falls, is it right for small towns?

July 12th, 2010

Yesterday, Randall Beck, publisher of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, wrote an editorial calling on Sioux Falls, SD to recognize that its future will be tied to its ability to attract young people. (source - Randall Beck, “Sioux Falls must attract talent,” Argus Leader, July 11, 2010.)  

Although he doesn’t describe it in-depth, the foundation upon which he builds his argument is solid: future economic development will be fueled by the knowledge of the people living in the community and the ability of these individuals to transfer that knowledge into economic activity. If a community does not have enough talent, it had better go out and get it.  That effort is the centerpiece of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s new five-year blueprint for South Dakota’s largest city.

Good stuff.  I like it.

The market is no longer “rural”

What caught my attention, however, was Beck’s acknowledgement that Sioux Falls will need to find its next generation of talent in cities such as Minneapolis and Omaha in the future.  Historically Sioux Falls’ growth has been fueled by talent from rural communities across South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota.  Beck cites Hollowing out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What it Means for America, a book dear to my heart, to note that those rural communities have nothing more to give.

Sadly, Beck may be right.

 

A great vision for Sioux Falls, but…

I appreciate Beck’s vision for the future of Sioux Falls.  He’s providing leadership in an area where leadership is needed.  But what about those rural communities to which Sioux Falls has been historically connected?  It feels like Sioux Falls is saying, rural communities have no future, so let’s move on.  

But that’s not the message from Hollowing out the Middle.

 

Let’s get back to Hollowing out the Middle

For those who haven’t read Hollowing out the Middle I’d recommend reading the book.  If time is short, take a look at this summary article written by its authors titled “Rural Brain Drain,” which appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education in September 2009.

The book and article offer great analysis of the issue of why young people leave rural communities.  Although painful to consider, I appreciate the authors’ assessment that part of the problem rests on resource allocation:

“What surprised us most was that adults in the community were playing a pivotal part in the town’s decline by pushing the best and brightest young people to leave, and by underinvesting in those who chose to stay, even though it was the latter that were the towns’ best chance for a future.” (source:  Patrick J. Carr & Maria J. Kefalas, “Rural Brain Drain,” Chronicle of Higher Education,  Sept. 21, 2009.

Although there’s much to be learned from Hollowing out the Middle, the authors only skim the surface of the brain drain phenomena.  The book’s greater value is that it attempts to build a deeper conversation about that issue.

Sadly, we’ve not heard enough of that dialogue in our part of South Dakota.  At times, we’ve attempted to initiate some conversation on ReImagine Rural.  But admittedly, we’ve failed to invest enough energy to generate the type of focus and attention the subject deserves.  (see articles on the subject here.)

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I’m interested in seeing attendees at the Midwest Rural Assembly pick up the conversation where Hollowing out the Middle leaves off.  I’ve had a few conversations with people about how that might be facilitated, but nothing has been planned as of yet.  Stay tuned if you are interested.

Whether the conversation happens at the Midwest Rural Assembly or at other venues, it must include a discussion about whether or not talent attraction strategies, which are typically reserved for urban populations, are effective in small, rural communities.  Clearly Sioux Falls believes it’s not too small, but what about the more typical small, rural communities that proliferate throughout the Midwest?

Personally, I feel it’s an option for many, but we’ve got some learning to do before we’ll get good at it.  And there’s no time like the present to get started. 

Photo Credit:  bowena - Flickr  (BTW - S.F. has done a nice job of reinventing its downtown, including efforts to redevelop the State Theater)

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

Think “youth engagement” before offering scholarships

June 15th, 2010

I’ve been in Tacoma, WA this weekend for my niece’s high school graduation (Congratulations Melissa!).  While waiting for the family to wake from their evening slumber yesterday, I stumbled across an article written by Jeremy Beer for Philanthropy Daily describing the success of a rural Pennsylvania community at reducing the outmigration of young people by providing scholarships to a nearby college. 

According to a 2009 article in Inside Higher Education, the two scholarship funds Beer references were established in the coal mining community of Tamaqua, PA in order to “to inspire local students both to go on to college and to stay close to home.”

Programs like this are of interest to me for a couple reasons.  First, I’d love to see rural communities everywhere develop “people attraction” strategies.  To me, people attraction strategies are about making communities places that people want to live.  This process begins with young people currently living in the community and extends out from there to adults everywhere.

Second, I wonder how it applies to the South Dakota Partnership for Teacher Education project.  Can scholarships work as an incentive for new graduates to teach in rural and Native American school districts across South Dakota?

Beer calls on leaders to extend scholarship programs like that of Tamaqua.  He writes:

Needless to say, these kinds of efforts could be taken much further. What if a local foundation decided to help pay off local students’ college loans, if they were to return to their hometown areas after graduation? Such a program would have to be designed with care, in order to avoid creating disincentives for colleges to give financial aid or to keep tuition low (in other words, if it were to have the same effect as the ridiculous federal student-loan programs, then we’re better off without it). But this could be an especially attractive option for the brightest of local kids who amass considerable debt attending liberal arts schools.” (Source:  Jeremy Beer, “Nudge them Homeward,” Philanthropy Daily, June 9, 2010)

I like the idea of extending these scholarship programs, but I’d recommend the extension be made in the opposite direction with youth engagement activities that connect young people to their community in the years before being offered scholarships.  In other words, get kids involved at an earlier age in meaningful community projects. 

As Dr. David Ivan from the Michigan State University states in a presentation at the 2009 Michigan Rural Partners Conference: 

Successful communities realize that the first step in reversing the brain-drain in small communities is to create a positive childhood memory that may serve as a consideration in future location.”  (Source: Dave Ivan, “Can Small Towns be Cool,” a presentation at the 2009 Michigan Rural Partner Conference, slide 38)  

It’s not that I think extending scholarships to more people is a bad idea.  I simply believe that communities need to build an emotional connection with young people before offering scholarships in order for the scholarships to produce the best possible effect. 

There are undoubtedly other similar scholarship programs cropping up across Rural America.  It would be interesting to learn more about their success and failures.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Community Development, Community Engagement, Economic Development, Gen Y, Rural | Comments (2)

Taylor Calmus: Shooting for Hollywood stardom

April 23rd, 2010

(Note: It’s Friday, which means this post is a part of our “I Feel Fridays” project.  Our goal is to share stories from the past week that generated an emotional response.  We encourage readers to respond to the post or to share something from their lives in the past week. To learn more about “I Feel Fridays,” check out this post- and then tell us what you’re feeling.)

The rural Midwest is typically not recognized as a hotbed of thespian talent.  But today, I feel proud of a young Howard native, Taylor Calmus, who is attempting to build a career as an actor in Los Angeles, and want to share a bit of his story.

I ran into Taylor on Wednesday when he was back serving as a “guest employee of the day” at his mother’s coffee shop in Howard.   I tried engaging Taylor in a conversation about his career while he was taking my order.  But I cut the questions short as he fumbled over the keys of the cash register. (Based on Taylor’s performance operating the machine, I hope he’s not working in a coffee shop like many other aspiring actors. :-) ) 

One subject we did get a chance to talk briefly about was his attempt to become Flo’s assistant in the “Help Flo” contest sponsored by Progressive Insurance.  Personally, I thought the video he produced (and which is embedded below) for the contest was a winner.  Unfortunately, he didn’t make Progressive’s Top 10 list.

 

In many ways, Taylor reminds me of an entrepreneur; to be a successful actor, he will need to develop his skills, be a risk-taker, and learn how to sell himself. 

Previously, I’ve written that rural communities need to do a better job of lifting up local entrepreneurs who are successful.  If we don’t, young people will assume that they HAVE to move to larger communities to be successful.  Even though some individuals, like respected blogger Jim Russell, question this strategy as a means of “retaining” young people, I stand by it.   

I do not, however,  want readers to think that we should discourage young people from setting goals that may lead them elsewhere.  I’m excited by Taylor’s desire to become an actor.  I’m proud of his decision to move to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career; it’s definitely not an opportunity his hometown of Howard can offer. 

But I think I know Taylor. And when he makes it big in the movie industry, he will never think of himself as better than his classmates who have chosen to live in small, rural communities.   He’s just made a different, not better, choice than others. 

And that’s why it’s easier to cheer, “Go Taylor!  We’re rooting for you.”

Tags: , ,
Posted in Community Development, Rural | Comments (2)

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

Tags: , ,
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.

Tags: , ,
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.

Tags: , , ,
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.

Tags: , , , ,
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

Tags: , , ,
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.)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Community Development, Rural | Comments (0)

« Older Entries