Posts Tagged ‘hollowing out the middle’

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.

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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)

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Thinking about the Midwest Rural Assembly

June 30th, 2010

“Anyone who is passionate about the rural Midwest should plan on attending the Midwest Rural Assembly.”  I made that statement last year in a post about the Assembly, and I want to repeat it again this year. If you are one of those persons, I hope I will see you in South Sioux City, Nebraska on August 16 & 17. 

What is the Midwest Rural Assembly?

The Midwest Rural Assembly is an effort to gather people who are care about the rural Midwest and hold a conversation about its future.  In many ways it provides an opportunity to regionalize and localize the efforts of the National Rural Assembly by “providing an opportunity for rural leaders and their allies to unite in a common cause, advocating for common-sense policies that improve the outlook and results for rural places, people, cultures, and economies.” After all, rural means different things to people in different parts of the country. 

Even within the Midwest, people have different ideas about what “rural” means and what needs to be done to build a vibrant future for our region.  One of the things I like about the event is that the agenda is shaped by the people who show up and are willing to do the work.  That’s a lot like how things get done in our rural communities.

What’s happening this year?

Organizers of the event are finalizing this year’s speakers and sessions, but the program is being positioned around the four guiding principles of the National Rural Assembly:  (1) Investments in our People; (2) Health of our People; (3) Stewardship of Natural Resources;  and (4) Quality in Education. 

Last year I met some great people from whom I continue to draw inspiration and ideas (i.e. - Neil Linscheid, who I wrote about in my last post).  Unfortunately, I was too wrapped up in a presentation and some other activities last year to fully engage myself in the conversations.  Hopefully that changes this year.

What I’m interested in

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the role education plays in the future of our rural communities.  Specifically, I’m interested in the ideas put forth in Hollowing out the Middle.  I’d very much like to hear what others have to say about the concept that educators and community members overinvest in those most likely to leave our rural communities at the expense of those who are committed to staying. 

As soon as the agenda is shared, I’m going to look for places where that conversation is most likely to emerge.  If this year’s event is like last year’s, many good conversations will take place in the hallways between sessions.  If this is a topic of interest to you, I hope you will seek me out.   And if you know of places where that conversation is already taking place online, I hope you will share them with me.  It would be great to have interesting food for thought before the Assembly meets in August. 

 

Details of the 2010 Midwest Rural Assembly

Website:  www.MidwestRuralAssembly.org
Date:  August 16 & 17, 2010
Location: Marina Inn and Conference Center (Phone: 1-800-798-7980)
Social Media:  Be sure to follow the Midwest Rural Assembly on Facebook and Twitter as well.

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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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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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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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If you’ve been in one rural community…

October 23rd, 2009

Distinguished sociologist Daryl Hobbs frequently told me and fellow Miner County (SD) residents, “If you’ve been in one rural community, you’ve only been in one rural community.”  Hobbs issued that warning to remind us that each small town held its own distinguishing features.  Just because we heard of one community’s problems on the TV news, didn’t mean we should assume those same problems existed in our community.  For that reason, he challenged us (and other rural community leaders) to dig in and understand the nuances of what made our community unique. 

I was reminded of Hobb’s exhortation today while reading a book review of Hollowing out the Middle, a book I highly recommend.  Published in the Wall Street Journal, the reviewer offered a lukewarm assessment of the book’s value to rural leaders.

In the review, he also leveled one scathing criticism over the authors’ claims that small town schools in the Heartland are divided along socio-economic lines.  The reviewer writes: 

The authors are on shakier ground discussing Ellis itself. You cannot drop into a town for a year and come away with deep understandings. Their claim that “there is probably no other place in American society where the rules of class and status play out with a more brutal efficiency than in the world of a country high school” is so howlingly inaccurate that only displaced urban academics could believe it.

 The reviewer’s statement drew my attention because I too struggled with veracity of the author’s claims on this subject.  As a former teacher, I feel comfortable saying the divide was not as severe (as the authors maintain) in the two rural South Dakota schools where I taught.  I can site numerous examples of quite the opposite, where students rise above the challenges presented by the status of their birth. 

So how can the authors, claim be so far off from my personal experiences?  Perhaps it’s because they base their analysis of the rural Heartland largely from interviews in one rural community. And if you’ve been to one rural community, you’ve only been to one rural community. 

But divisions along socio-economic lines did, and I suspect still do, exist in the schools and communities where I taught.  And Hollowing out the Middle helped me see those relationships in a new light.  For instance, I know that one of the greatest advantages that rural education offers over an urban one is that teachers are able to get to know the parents of their students on a much deeper level.  After reading the book, however, I can’t help but wonder how I and other fellow teachers might have imposed conditions of the parents onto their children. 

Some readers will undoubtedly be offended by the author’s claims.  But I don’t think they intend the claim as a condemnation.  Rather, they intended it as a tool for helping us examine what lies beneath the surface of our behaviors. 

Therein lays the value offered by the book.  While I can’t agree that “the rules of class and status play out with a more brutal efficiency” in the rural towns and schools that I’ve experienced, I know that elements of it exist in all of our rural schools in the Heartland. And I think that every community could develop a richer understanding of itself by holding a conversation on the subject. 

So let me conclude by asking, “Do you think socio-economic divisions are as pervasive in your rural school as the authors suggest?”  Is that a conversation you are willing to have? 

 

Photo Credit: Alexandraless - Flickr    (Let’s hope young people don’t jump for joy at the prospect of leaving rural communities after graduation.)

 

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It’s not easy to ReImagine Rural

October 14th, 2009

Hollowing out the Middle has been gaining attention on the regional and national scale.  The book’s major premise - that rural communities must be more thoughtful in addressing the issue of youth outmigration - is not always well received, but it has been thought provoking. 

I recently listened to a 45 minute interview of Maria J. Kefalas (one of the book’s authors along with Patrick J. Carr) on the “On Point with Tom Ashbrook” show on National Public Radio.   Kefalas was joined on the show by Creighton University Professor Ernie Goss, and Douglas Burns, a columnist for the Daily Times Herald in Carroll, IA.

There’s a lot of good stuff worth listening to on the show, but I thought the best comment was delivered by Kefalas when she stated: 

There’s a growing realization that in order to continue to exist….the old way of life has to cease to exist.  When you are faced with oblivion - or reimagining - and abandoning this cherished way of life, that’s a huge challenge.”

Kefalas used the words “reimaging” numerous times throughout the interview to describe what rural communities should be focused on.  Obviously, those are cherished words at the Rural Learning Center, where “ReImage Rural” is our trademarked tag line. 

In using this language, I think Kefalas recognizes the importance of transformation rather than revitalization as a community development strategy.

Some readers may think I make too big a deal of the difference between the two, but I would disagree.  Revitalization beacons to the past, while transformation speaks to fundamental change.  In other words, transformational strategies will mean “the old way of life has to cease to exist.”

It’s always easier to imagine a future that is based on the known past–rather than reimagining based on an unknown future.  It is time, however, that we stop taking the easy path. 

Past Posts about Hollowing out the Middle

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Are polar bears more important than rural communities?

September 18th, 2009

Let me begin by saying that I love polar bears and believe Americans need to alter their daily lives to help combat the global warming that is destroying the polar bear’s environment.

But it also seems to me that most Americans care little about the future of rural communities.  And apparently, I’m not alone. 

 

Hollowing out the Middle agrees

I’m still working my way through the recently released Hollowing out the Middle:  The Rural Brain Drain and What it Means for America, but I’m far enough along to offer a few thoughts.  (I also wrote about it back in April, before it was released.)

The authors open by asking the question that often troubles me:  “Why should we care about the future of small towns in the Heartland?”(p. ix)  They then offer a statement that inspired the above headline:

Though the small town claims an iconic place in the American psyche, we are considerably less alarmed by the emptying out of the prairie and plains towns than by the endangered status of the polar bear, an altogether more universally vulnerable symbol and one that our kids can easily comprehend and mourn the loss of.  (p. ix)

Unlike most books that begin with “whoa onto us” statements like the above, the authors quickly redirect the direct the energy of the book from blaming others to that of self-reflection. 

They close their preface by stating, “It is people’s actions that ultimately determine whether a place hollows out.” (p. xiv)

Yes! I agree.

 

We are responsible

Rural residents have as much responsibility for the future of their communities as free market economics or government policies.  We choose where we buy our groceries.  We choose how trashy or vibrant our communities look.  And we choose how our young people feel about their communities by what we tell them and how we invest in them. 

Unfortunately, little attention is ever directed at this last statement.  And that’s why this book is so important.

 

Just Do it!

So why do Americans today care so much for the polar bear and so little about rural communities?  I suspect it’s because some passionate individuals took notice of the polar bear’s plight and have attempted to do something about it.

I know that’s an oversimplification, but I’m confident our actions will speak loader than our words alone. 

Where should you begin?  I’d recommend purchasing Hollowing out the Middle and learning more about why young people are leaving the American Heartland.  And then, if you think it’s worthy, recommend it to a friend, and spark a conversation on the subject. (I’ve already purchased a copy for a friend at the Souuth Dakota Department of Education.)

It seems to me that as we take action (like Iroquois, SD is doing) and build a conversation, we will be successful at raising the awareness of the importance of Rural America.  Not only will our communities be stronger, but others will finally “get it” and understand our passion for rural. 

And who knows, maybe someday we’ll be as important as the polar bear.

 

Photo credit (top):  Oxfam International - Flickr.  (Let me be clear that I am in no way attempting to belittle those who seek to save the polar bear.  On the contrary, we can learn much from their passion.)

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Don’t Ask, Don’t Care

September 9th, 2009

Have you asked a young person lately what they think of their community or what they’d like to change to make it a more attractive place for young people to live? 

If you haven’t, you are not alone.  According to a study of young people in rural northeast Nebraska, only 29% of the 1,833 students in the study responded that they had been asked questions of this nature.

That begs the question: if we don’t ask, does it mean we don’t care?

I don’t think so.  It’s my observation that rural residents care deeply about the future of their communities and recognize how important young people are to that future.  The problem is that we don’t know any better.

 

But not knowing is not an excuse!

That’s why I’ve been waiting impatiently to read Hollowing out the Middle, ever since I learned about it back in April.  The authors studied the “brain drain” issue in a rural town in Northeast Iowa, and concluded that rural residents play a significant role in driving young people away.   

The book, which was recently released, should arrive on my doorstep by Friday.  (Thank you Amazon.) Even though I’m sure it will offer insights into how we can better retain our young people, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that one of the first steps is to show young people that we care about them.  We may think that young people already know this, but when we don’t ask questions like “what do you want this place to be like?” they tend to forget. 

It may be a few weeks before I’m able to finish Hollowing out the Middle, and I’ll share my insights with you here.  What I haven’t shared with you yet, however, is that there’s more to the story about Nebraska’s youth. 

 

The Rest of the Story

What’s remarkable about the Nebraska youth study is that despite not being asked about the future of their rural communities, most still want to return.  According to the Nebraska Community Foundation (who helped fund the study along with The Connie Fund), 51% of those surveyed could see themselves living in the area in the future if career opportunities are available.  And only 12% felt that their rural community was too small.  (See page 6-7 of the Summer 2009 issue of the Nebraska Community Foundation’s newsletter). 

That news leaves me wondering what the results would be if we started asking young people what they want their communities to be like, and then made  them a part of the effort to achieve it. 

 

See also:  Omaha World Herald article titled “Neb. kids like hometowns.” 

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