Posts Tagged ‘Iowa’

What do your local businesses think?

December 18th, 2009

You probably know from previous posts, that I believe it’s important to support both “buy local” efforts and local entrepreneurship. The Miner County Cash Flow Study has been the most successful effort to support local buying in Miner County, SD to date.  The study involved high school students surveying county residents about their spending habits and then sharing the results with the public in an effort to help community members understand their impact on the local economy.  While reading this article in the Ames Tribune, I began to wonder if the tables couldn’t have been turned, with students surveying local entrepreneurs concerning how the community could support their businesses.

Titled “Chamber, AEDC, Young Professionals gear up for retail business survey,” the article describes a joint effort by the Ames Chamber of Commerce, Ames Economic Development Commission, and the Young Professionals of Ames to survey local entrepreneurs and business owners.

I like two aspects of the survey.  First, it appears that the community organizations really care about what small businesses think about their community.  Second, they are engaging the Young Professional Group in the effort. 

Whether it’s surveying local residents concerning spending habits or surveying local entrepreneurs for their thoughts on community issues, I’d advocate that small, rural communities should engage their high school students rather than hiring outside firms to do everything for them. In the long run, it will be more meaningful to everyone involved.

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Posted in Economic Development, Rural | Comments (2)

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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Posted in Community Development, Economic Development, Gen Y, In the News, Rural | Comments (3)

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

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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Brain Drain — It’s not just about millennials

June 2nd, 2009

When I think about the brain drain dilemma facing many rural regions in the Upper Midwest, I usually focus on millennials moving to urban areas.  In this scenario, millennials go off to college or tech school and never come back.  But an article in the Des Moines Register reminds us that the timing of the economic turn-around may play a critical role for unemployed people of all ages who are searching for greener grass.

Titled “New Recession, old test:  Keeping jobless in Iowa” the article suggests that even though Iowa’s unemployment rate is low ( 5.1% in April), the state may have a difficult time keeping unemployed Iowans in Iowa if employment takes off in other states faster than in Iowa. 

In other words, states concerned about losing residents may need to pay attention to the perception of opportunity elsewhere. 

Not everyone agrees with this theory, and the article offers good insights into both sides of the debate. 

 

 

 

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

Top 10 “coolest” small towns

May 29th, 2009

How cool would it be for your town to be named one of the “top 10 coolest” small towns in America? That’s exactly what 10 lucky communities experienced when voters selected them for the honor at BudgetTravel.com’s online contest. 

It was even “cool” enough news for The Early Show at CBS News to pick up the story: 

 

It’s disappointing (but not unexpected) to see only one community (Grinnell, IA) in our region on the list. Of course, what’s “cool” and what’s “small” both have debatable definitions.  Budget Travel used a definition of “small” as under 10,000.  Wouldn’t it would be fun to see a contest for communities under 3,000? 

Note: Just as interesting to me is how information like this travels.  I first read about it in the Daily Yonder blog, clicked on a link taking me to a story at the Chicago Sun-Times, which in turn took me to the BudgetTravel.com site.  Three sites before I got to the original, but each story was worth the read.  There’s something good to be said about how information is shared in the social media world. 

 

Related Links

“Americas Coolest Small Towns, Circa 2009″ @ CBS News

 “Grinnell third in website poll of “coolest small towns” @ Radio Iowa

 “Americas Coolest Towns:  Budget Travel Magazine (Video) @ The Huffington Post

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Posted in In the News, Rural | Comments (1)

Hollowing out the Middle

April 28th, 2009

We’ve talked a lot about what it takes to attract young people to rural communities.  Now a study commissioned by the MacArthur Foundation examines the process of why communities are losing their young people.

Beginning in 2001, sociologists Patrick J. Carr and Maria J. Kefalas began studying Ellis, Iowa in an effort to better understand the causes of “brain drain” in rural communities.  The following video highlights their book titled Hollowing out the Middle:  The Rural Brain Drain and what it means for America, due out later this year.



 

 One statement in the video jumped out at me.

 Surprisingly, they find that adults in the community play a pivotal role in the towns decline…

…by pushing the best and brightest away, and underinvesting in those who chose to stay.

This points the finger directly where it belongs - back at us.  Everyone knows (but seldom discusses) that we tell our young people that to be successful they have to move to away.  After all, “anywhere is better than here.”

The statement in the trailer, however, points to a deeper issue:  our lack of investment in young people who want to stay. 

Recognizing that we need to assist those who want to stay is the first step, and should be pretty easy.  Understanding how best to assist our young people, however, is a much bigger step.  It will also be much tougher. 

I look forward to reading Hollowing out the Middle to learn more about the strategies we can employ to take that step.

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Posted in Gen Y, In the News, Rural, Uncategorized | Comments (7)

Iowa’s vision of Green

March 19th, 2009

With all of the media coverage surrounding green jobs lately, I thought you might be interested in the following comments found in the Omaha World-Herald:

In comparing the number of wind energy jobs in Nebraska to the vastly higher number in Iowa, the article states:

Iowa got ahead because its policymakers worked for more than two decades to nurture the fledgling industry with incentives, regulatory changes and other support. That spadework left the state well-positioned when wind took off nationally.

The article goes on:

Iowa’s lead position in wind energy didn’t happen by accident. Over the years, Iowa’s elected officials approved rebates, loans, grants, tax reductions and regulatory changes to encourage the budding industry.

The state’s university system lent its expertise, and an Iowa community college offered the nation’s first associate degree program for turbine technicians.

Most importantly, wind advocates say, Iowa in 1991 became the first state to mandate that its private utilities derive a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources.

In today environment of belt-tightening state governments, a case can be made against the support of any industry with public dollars.  But ask Newton, IA (pop. 16,000) if Iowa’s support of the wind energy industry was worth it.  When the Maytag plant there closed in 2008, laying off 1,800 workers, a wind turbine blade manufacturer stepped into its place with 500 jobs.  I bet a lot of people there are thankful for Iowa’s vision about green job development. 

Kudos to Iowa.  We can all learn a lesson from the way they pursued and achieved their vision.

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Young Professionals Groups — quick facts

February 20th, 2009

Here are a few quick topics on young professionals groups that you may be interested in:

North Dakota formed a statewide initiative to connect Young Professionals Groups.  I wonder how their efforts have paid off?  

People have developed a lot of creative names for their groups, but the one I like the best is Bowman Young Energetic People.  I think this is a great name because it suggests that anyone can belong (i.e. you don’t have to be a “professional”) and that members are energetic — no coach potatoes allowed.  (The only online source of information I found on this group was with the YP North Dakota Network.)

The Iowa legislature created the Generation Iowa Commission to “advise and assist in the retention and attraction of young adults to Iowa.” They published their research in an on-line pdf that’s worth checking out.   Besides having an interactive website, the commission is made of young people (all under age 35).

If your community is considering the formation of a young professionals group, I’d recommend you check out YP Commons.  In a way they are a virtual young professionals organization.  They offer some networking opportunities and advice on group formation.

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Posted in Community Development, Gen Y, Leadership, Quality of Life, Rural | Comments (3)

Off the beaten path

November 6th, 2008

If you’ve ever gotten “off the beaten path” while traveling, you’ve probably discovered a neat place that astounds you.   You know what I mean.  It’s the place that makes you say, “Wow.  How did this get here?” 

Last week, some friends told me about one of these places.  While traveling Iowa’s backroads, they stumbled on the Grotto of Redemption in West Bend, IA.  

Although I’ve never been there myself, I remembered a presentation about it at rural community development conference a few years back.  The community (pop. 800) had recently dedicated itself to developing innovative ways of promoting the Grotto, and the speaker was encouraging other rural communities to follow their lead. 

I remembered the Grotto today when I read a post on a blog that I’ve followed for the last six months or so.  Called the Smallwanderer, it’s dedicated to identifying unique cultural events and places for travelers in the Southeastern corner of the United States. 

I enjoy Smallwanderer because I get a chance to see the innovative tourism activities and promotions that rural communities have developed.  

If you’d like to kick-start tourism as a part of your community’s economic development strategy, I’d recommend you to put Smallwanderer in your blog reader.  

And if you have a worthy story about what your community is already doing, I’d encourage you to contact the Smallwanderer’s staff.  As a post from a couple days ago announces, they are seeking towns and travelers to submit stories about unique places and events.  What a cool idea! 

We intend to talk more about tourism as an economic development strategy as well, but you’ll benefit from reading what’s going on down south as well.

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