Posts Tagged ‘community involvement’

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

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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Posted in Community Development, Rural | Comments (6)

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