Posts Tagged ‘community involvement’

Archimedes, Daydreaming and You

June 18th, 2010

I have a tendency to daydream.  I will be listening to, or participating in, a conversation and before I realize that instead of listening, I’m in my own little dream world.  I try not to, but sometimes it happens.  As it turns out, my daydreaming might be a good thing.

Many people say their best thinking often comes in the shower.  Archimedes is said to have jumped out of his bath tub, running naked through the streets, yelling “Eureka!  I got it!”  While I don’t recommend running naked through the streets, I will promote taking a break to daydream, leading to your own “Eureka!” moment. 

According to various studies, we spend almost one-third of our time daydreaming.  When we give our brain a “break,” it is actually activating areas of the brain associated with complex problem solving.  Kalina Christoff, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of British Columbia says, “People assumed that when your mind wandered it was empty. .. mind wandering is a much more active state than we ever imagined, much more active than during reasoning with a complex problem.”  She goes on to say that an unfocused mind connects new ideas and unexpected associations better than analytical reasoning.  

Over the last five years, two researchers at Northwestern University have used brain scanners and EEG sensors to find out what causes that “Eureka!” or “aha” moment.  They studied people who were stumped with a word problem and suddenly came up with a solution they knew to be right.  Turns out the brain sends signals from its right hemisphere, which controls associations and putting things together, a third of a second before the “aha” moment strikes.  That is immediately followed by a set of signals from the visualization part of the brain.  This second set of signals allows you to really solidify the idea in your head.

While we don’t know what kinds of topics or problems can trigger an “aha” moment, researches say a positive mood can increase the chances of coming to an insightful thinking.  As Dr. Jung-Beeman says, “How you are thinking beforehand is going to affect what you do with the problems you get.” 

So, you may now be thinking, what does Arcimedes have to do with rural communities?  Often I think our rural communities think too logically and are too pessimistically about their futures.  It seems like they don’t want to risk getting their collective hope up only to be let down when their dreams don’t come true.  In doing so, they deny the creative juices that work their way to the surface.  When we try too hard to fix a problem, the solution seems harder and harder to grasp. 

Maybe, instead, a community can get together and encourage all members, from the youngest to the oldest, to come up with ideas.  Ask, if we had unlimited resources and visitors and time and volunteers, what could we do?  Encourage the positive, creative thinking that comes from daydreaming about a future.  Maybe then a community can finally see what they have been missing and start working towards a new solution.

To learn more, check out this article by Newsweek magazine and this one from Psychology Today.

 

Photo Credit:  Ashley R. Good

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Posted in Community Development, Community Engagement, In the News, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Building Community with Corned Beef Sandwiches

May 19th, 2010

The highlight of the Grassroots and Groundwork 2010 Conference for me, last week, was Paul Saginaw’s keynote speech.  Paul is co-owner and founding partner of Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Paul’s speech left me inspired in a number of ways, but one specific piece of advice he gave is still ringing.  He described that as a new business owner, he made community a priority.  He knew he was going to give back from the start, and he has accomplished that in more ways than one. 

It takes money, honey

In the company’s spreadsheet, alongside salaries and wages, benefits, utilities, insurance and a host of other operating expenses was the term “community.”  Money allocated to this line item was used to strengthen community in greater Ann Arbor Michigan along with helping staff when they faced difficulties. Many businesses owners look to give back after they achieve a level of prosperity.  What’s special is that Paul and co-owner Ari Weinzweig built this financial contribution into their business from the start.

Community and opportunity for employees

Paul described that he and Ari’s business mantra from the start wouldn’t allow for reproductions of Zingerman’s Delicatessen.  But, after ten years of successful operation, they realized that expanding the business was necessary so that growth opportunities existed for staff.  They did this by making their staff partners in an expanding business, dubbed Zingerman’s Community of Businesses.  The Zingerman name now includes a total of nine companies with 590 employees and fifteen partners, including a bakehouse, creamery and candy shop. 

Feeding their community

Not many for-profit businesses can say they’ve started a nonprofit, but Zingerman’s can.  In 1988, the company’s philanthropy founded Food Gatherers, a nonprofit that redistributes food from restaurants to those who need it most.  Today, Food Gatherers redistributes more than seven tons of food a day and feeds almost 44,000 people each year. 

 

There are more, but I’ll stop at three.  We often believe that building “community” is the responsibility of nonprofits, economic development groups, and government entities.  Paul Saginaw and Zingerman’s Community of Businesses proves that businesses can contribute to community in powerful ways, if they’re willing to take the challenge. 

 

Photo credit:  Ashley Dinges-Flickr

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What am I supposed to do in this town?

June 22nd, 2009

If I came to your community, what would I do?
Even though I enjoy a drink with friends, I don’t feel like spending every night at the bar.  Where else can I go to socialize with people my age with my interests?  I don’t have any kids, so I can’t make friends with other parents from daycare.  There really aren’t any young people where I work, either.  Do you have any suggestions?

What would you say to these young professionals who are coming to you sans children or families?  It seems like small communities (those under pop. 3,000) spend all their time and resources trying to attract young families and keep its older members.   But, how many communities are thinking about those who are fresh out of high school or college?

Mike has posted before about Young Professional groups around the region, and I think they are incredible.  Many young people have come from a college town (population at least 5,000) and like the buzzing social scene where they can find thousands of like minded people in an instant.  These YP groups do for a community what a college does for its students: provide activities and resources for them to get together to make connections or help advance their career.

Help us get to know each other

I found an application for the Solomon Schechter Awards for Outreach to Young Adults from the Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta, GA.  They were facing a withdrawal of young adults (age 20-35) without families.  Sound familiar?

a woman stands against a porch that she helped build while volunteering for Habitat for Humanity

a woman stands against a porch that she helped build while volunteering for Habitat for Humanity

They made an active decision to reach out with specific events tailored to people aged 20-35.  They started with a Habitat for Humanity project that drew about 60 people; the basis for their e-mailing list.  That lead to a monthly “parlor - type discussion” in a rabbi’s home, a monthly contemporary service at 7:30pm with appetizers and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, trips to concerts, and other purely social parties.  They now have an e-mailing list of 600 and the monthly events are attended by 100-200 people.

Sure, Atlanta is a big city, but don’t put down what they accomplished.  This congregation had over 900 members, just like a lot of our small towns.  A whole community could be a model after this congregation.  They can modify the synagogue’s events and tailor their own to help bring back the young people.

Invite us in

We probably will not invite ourselves to serve on your city council, nor invite ourselves into an already made community like a congregation.  Instead, invite us to volunteer at the church, school or other function.  If we say yes, you have another volunteer who feels needed.  And if we say no, you have at least invited us into your circle.  The more you help us connect to other people, the more willing we will be to stay.  If small towns do not start projecting their want for young ideas and young involvement, they will continue their history of decline.  What image is your town projecting?

Photo credit: Susan Lloyd Image - flickr

For an interesting article about “the quarter life quandry” and how some towns are keeping young people involved, check out Facing a Midlife Crisis … at 25.

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

More evidence to support “Broken Windows” Theory

February 18th, 2009

Back in December2008, I wrote about the negative effects associated with “broken windows theory” and suggested litter, graffiti, abandoned buildings, and other signs of “disorder” might limit or decrease the willingness of community members to work together on projects.  

I’ve yet to find any hard research linking broken windows to descreased community support, but a study in Lowell, Massachusetts offers further evidence that community beautification can help reduce crime.  

Other resources on “broken window theory”

Note:  I’ve been looking for information about “broken windows” theory in rural places, but haven’t’ had much luck.  I’d appreciate any resources people can pass along.

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Gen X, Gen Y & Community Involvement

December 5th, 2008

The other evening, the residents of Faulkton, SD asked Lindsey, Joe, and myself what Faulkton could be done to get younger people involved in their community.  They explained it doesn’t seem to matter what group is meeting or what activity is being planned; people under age 45 just don’t show up.

We assured them Faulkton is not alone is this.  People being busy is a real issue today; but there are also some real generational issues also at play that impact involvement.   

Generally the post-Baby Boom generations are referred to as Generations X (born roughly between 1965 and 1980) and Generation Y (born roughly between the late1970’s and 2000).  They have very different expectations on life than older generations.  If you want them involved in your organization, you may have to change your organization’s practices and behavior. 

I’m going to start by providing two videos about Gen Y and follow up next with more detailed characteristics of both generations in future posts. 

I’m sharing two videos for a purpose.  One was definitely created by a Gen Y, while the other was probably created by a Gen X or maybe even a Baby Boomer.  Can you figure out which is which?

Video #1
 

Video #2

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How does a physicist “fit” into a small town?

October 21st, 2008

Where would a physicist go in a small town to make conversion?  No, this statement is not the opening line of a joke:  It’s a real question highlighting the difficulty some professionals in rural communities have bringing up their work in a conversation with their neighbors.  Farmers can always talk about their crops or the weather; but bring up quantum mechanics or the theory of relativity, and I bet the conversation is pretty short. 

Jill Weber Aanenson of Freeman, South Dakota is someone who’s been living the above scenario.  She works as a consultant for an out-of-state company that studies radiation and other environmental contaminants.  I read about Jill’s story on Eric Abrahamson’s “The New Pioneers”, a blog dedicated to showcasing entrepreneurs in the northern Great Plains. 

Sunset outside of Freeman, South Dakota

Sunset outside of Freeman, South Dakota

What struck me about Jill’s story was that she grew up in Sioux Falls, SD, has a job that would allow her to live anywhere, and chooses to live in Freeman.  And based on Eric’s description, Aanenson is happy there. 

Moving to Freeman, however, was not without its challenges.  First off, her job was a conversation killer;  people couldn’t grasp what a physicist did, let alone talk about it.  Second, she held outsider status;  not that she was shunned, but she didn’t quite fit in either.  This finally began to change, however, when she started to meet other parents and became involved in a few community groups.

There’s the rub.  People who move to a rural community usually have to become an active part of a group to fit into the community.  That’s how social connections are made.   

The good news is, it’s generally pretty easy to join groups in rural communities.  Usually, newcomers are welcomed with open arms.  But if you are new to a community, how do you know that being involved in the community is the path to “insider status”?  

This issue – how people become a part of a community — is a subject that the Rural Learning Center and Rural Transformations, Inc. hopes to dig into more in the near future.  We believe it’s a big issue; after all, if a newcomer doesn’t experience a sense of community and belonging, they are more likely to go elsewhere. And none of our rural communities can afford to let this happen.

If you have some ideas on the subject we would love to hear them.

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