Posts Tagged ‘rural communities’

Rural Roots

August 19th, 2009

A friend of mine sent me this well-known illustration of many prairie grasses, including the roots we usually don’t see. I love the powerful comparison to the bluegrass on the left–this is the stuff most of us have in our lawns. (You know, the stuff we water and fertilize so we can mow it more often.)

At the Midwest Rural Assembly earlier this week, I heard more than one speaker talk about needing to find a powerful answer to the question many in urban areas ask about rural: “But there’s nothing out there, is there?” Mary Ellen Connelly, the friend who sent me this image (she’s also an accomplished garden author and nursery owner) shared a wonderful insight as we were discussing the connection between the roots of prairie grasses and the love of living here on the prairie. She said, “Well, you have to look deep on the prairie You have to see the roots. And looking deep leads to enlightenment.”

Let’s help people–the people who’s support we need–to see the roots of life in rural places. Learning how to tell that story just might open our own eyes to the full beauty we sometimes forget about.

Photo Credit: US Environmental Protection Agency

Editor’s Note: Regular readers will remember Joe Bartmann from his days as a Rural Learning Center staff member.  Joe is currently leading the Sioux Falls Green Project, but we’ve never closed his “authorship” privileges and welcome future posts. 

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Why start a business in a rural community?

April 10th, 2009

What are the advantages and disadvantages of starting a business in rural communities?  Although it focuses on “small to midsized cities”, a recent article in Business Weekly offers a glimpse into the realities of starting a business in a non-urban setting. It concludes there are some real advantages that companies should consider including:

Unfortunately, the analysis only focuses on small to midsized cities — and not the rural communities with populations of under 5000 that are so common in our part of the country.  That said, I’m not sure if there’s much difference.

Back when I worked as an economic development director, we extolled those same factors to entrepreneurs looking to start-up their ventures in Howard, SD, and we used local data to support our argument.  But beyond this local data I haven’t seen any research to back up those claims. 

Wouldn’t it be helpful to read some qualitative and quantitative analysis that rural communities could use to help them make their case.  In lieu of this research, I’d be very interested in hearing what others have experienced in their rural communities. 

Photo:  This photo taken in the industrial park in Howard, SD shows what entrepreneurship can mean to a small rural community.

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It’s still all about the relationship

December 15th, 2008

I was struck last week by the number of “Gen Y experts” marketing their knowledge to businesses.  “Are you struggling to relate to your Gen Y workers?” becomes the opening to their sales pitch. “If so, we’ve got the answers, and you can’t afford to figure it out yourself.”

Not all Gen Y experts, however, are quite so brash. It was refreshing to read one expert, Kanna Hudson,  suggest that although Gen Y (also called Millennials) are unique, all people really need to do is follow three simple steps:

Step 1. Call up your local Millennial, or, if you’re at work, visit your local Millennial’s cubicle

Step 2. Get to know him or her.

Step 3. If desired, proceed with normal human relationship

Maybe that’s the “poor man’s” Gen Y self help guide, but I think it’s a particularly powerful message to any rural community or civic group that is interested in engaging Gen Y in their community.   It affirms the message I presented in “How to engage Gen Y in Rural Communities” by suggesting that building a relationship is the place to start. But it also reminds us not to make working with young people difficult.  After all, they are humans too.

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Former Blind School Project moves forward

December 12th, 2008

If the residents of Gary, SD  had succumbed to the psychological effects often associated with “Broken Window Theory“, I doubt anyone would have showed up for the Dessert and Design meeting at the former South Dakota School for the Blind in Gary last night. 

But signs of helplessness and community despair were far from present as approximately 140 Gary residents gathered to hear about future plans for former School for the Blind campus.  Quite a turnout for a community with a population of 250.

The community meeting, which was held in the south dormitory auditorium, began with a presentation by Joe Kolbach, who recently acquired the property.  He shared his aggressive vision for restoring the buildings and filling them with productive uses.   He and Briana Hoffman, Deuel County economic development coordinator, then asked the community for their input into future activities that could tie into the facility.  The community eagerly shared their ideas, and it was wonderful to see the entire auditorium filled with energy and excitement.

Joe has identified office space, lodging, and an auditorium/events center as purposes for two of the campus’ three main buildings.  Plans are still pending (hence the need for ideas) for the former administrative building. (check out Joe’s presentation here) 

Restoration of the buildings and reestablishment of Lake Elsie will undoubtedly enhance Gary’s existing charm and make it a unique and special community in the upper Great Plains.  But work of this nature in a rural community doesn’t get done based solely on one person’s vision and commitment.  To be truly successful, it takes the support of the entire community.

And that was the message offered by Randy Parry, who spoke briefly during the meeting.  Parry, the President of the Rural Learning Center in Howard, recounted how easy it is for negativity and skepticism to cripple community development efforts.  It’s easy to feel bursts of excitement now, but the community will undoubtedly experience barriers that it will have to fight through.  That’s when support becomes vital. 

As I reflect back on the meeting, it’s that message that I hope struck home with attendees.  The campus’ redevelopment is an amazing opportunity for Gary.  But its greatest impact will only be reached by the community working together to determine how to take full advantage of and build upon this incredible opportunity.   

 

 Other links about the School for the Blind project:

 Update: Briana Hoffman asked me to make one correction.  While 140 people attended the meeting, not all were Gary residents.  Attendees came from throughout Deuel County, as well as neighboring Canby, MN.  It’s great to see regional interest.

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How to engage Gen Y in Rural Communities

December 11th, 2008

It’s no secret that participation levels of young people, particularly Gen Y, in community groups and projects are declining.  This is particularly troubling in our rural communities where the age demographics are getting older and older each year.

“What’s wrong with this younger generation?” becomes the rally cry.  “They say they want to change the world, but how can they do that when all they do is surf the internet and text message?” The reality is that Generation Y is interested in social causes, but we have to engage them on their terms if we want their involvement.  

I hope the “Characteristics of Gen Y” that I shared in yesterday’s post helps you understand Gen Y.  Today, I want to offer my thoughts on how this information can be used to encourage their involvement in your community.   

Start by build a personal relationship with them. Because the parents of Gen Y treated their children as friends and valued their opinions, Gen Y’s are social creatures.  They enjoy telling others about their interest, their desire, and opinions.   Sitting down and talking to them about these things helps younger people feel that your community values and respects them.   And hopefully you do, because they read intentions very well, which leads us to our next tip.

Be authentic.  Gen Y has been bombarded with traditional advertising, and they’ve come to distrust it.  In turn, this has led them to value people, organizations, and businesses that are authentic and who are not trying to sell them something. If you are not truly interested in learning and listening, they will detect it.  They will then remember it when making their decisions on whether to join your effort or not. 

Value their ideas and opinion.  Taking the ideas and opinions of Gen Y seriously is a strong part of the previous two tips, but it also goes beyond relationships and authenticity.  Gen Y’s feel their knowledge is their greatest contribution.  That may be difficult to accept if you believe wisdom is associated with age.  But if you want Gen Y’s involved, you’ll swallow your pride and take them seriously. 

Along the same line of thought, if you ask for Gen Y’s help, be ready to accept it.    For example, I ask a Gen Y to edit my writing.  I know that if I want her continued help, I need to listen to what she says - even when I think that what she’s edited is not better than what I wrote in the first place.

Rethink how your organization uses technology.  We all know that Gen Y is the most technology savvy generation.  It seems like they can’t leave it alone, which is often annoying to people who grew up without it.  Ask parents today how to communicate with their children, and they will tell you, “Don’t bother calling, just text message.”  If your organization relies on written invitations and phone calls (especially at a home phone), you may never reach the very people you need to. 

Now obviously, the above example is more relevant the younger a person is; but it should cause us to rethink the ways our communities and groups can use technology.  Perhaps you need to create a Google Calendar as a community calendar and produce a Facebook page for specific projects that are listed on the calendar.  Perhaps it’s using tools like e-mail, Basecamp, or TrueThinker.   And if you don’t know what any of these tools do, don’t worry.  Just ask a Gen Y–they’ll enjoy telling you. 

Make sure you communicate what “cause” you are working on.  This may be the most important and challenging recommendation that I make.  Gen Y’s embrace “social causes” more than any other generation, largely because their parents (Baby Boomers) were social activists.  But I’m afraid that the activities rural community groups are working on don’t translate into social causes. 

For instance, Gen Y probably doesn’t see a community club as a cause.  They would, however, see giving gifts to low-income children at Christmas as a social cause that they want to be a part of.  One way to address this issue would be the community club to encourage Gen Y’s to participate in specific causes that interest them.   

After reading the list above, you may question if getting Gen Y involved is worth the effort.  But since Generation Y is the future of your community, I think you’d better.

Update (12-15-09): Since posting this article, I have written several other posts about the characteristics of Gen Y and how it relates to rural communities. A few of the more popular posts include:

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Are You A Burning Log?

November 24th, 2008

In a recent post, I wrote about finding a way to make it easier for people in your community to start something better. That’s really what we do at the Rural Learning Center, and so do so many other organizations out there working in rural communities.

In some instances we’ve been one of those sparks for change in our own community, but many times we try to help fan the embers for others in our community who are creating change. So, instead of being the spark that starts the fire, we sometimes become the already burning log. As a great teacher once taught me, when you set another log next to one that’s been burning for a while, that new log will soon be burning fiercely of the same fire.

Could you be a burning log in your community?

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Help Start Something Better

November 23rd, 2008

It’s easy to protest. Much harder to be proactive.

Complaining about someone else’s performance comes pretty easily to most of us, I think. We’ve all done it to one degree or another. You know the drill–stuff like:

“I can’t believe the City Council isn’t taking care of this.”
“Why doesn’t someone fix that?”
“When is this community going to figure out we need to try something else?”

So, what if we turned the protest into proactive change? What if, when someone complains about the status quo in our community (even if we are part of that status quo), we respond, “Bravo! Go start something better!” “Be the change you want to see!” We could all be sparks for change that way.

Fuel for the Spark

Most people in our community aren’t going to be proactive today. It’s not because they don’t care. It’s not becasuse they are complacent. It’s not because they enjoy being the noisy protester. I think it’s because they are busy, and we haven’t made it easy for them to start something. Something better, that also lines up with our community’s values.

So the trick might not be to convince people to get involved in making someone else’s ideas real. The trick could be to come together as a community to get clear on the set of values we can agree we share, and design a support system that makes it easier for ‘proactivists’ to spark change that fits those values.

What do you think?

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We’ll leave the light on for you

October 23rd, 2008

I’ve always enjoyed the Motel 6 commercials featuring Tom Bodett and the tagline “We’ll leave the light on for you.”  In many ways that line epitomizes the values of rural communities:  trust, a sense of community, caring, and family.  Those qualities are at the core of what rural residents celebrate. 

But in our zeal to explain to others why we live where we do, we often forget to respect the decisions of people who decide to live elsewhere. 

It’s for that reason that I truly appreciate the following excerpts taken from some writing on Tom Bodett’s website titled “Notes From A Small Town”.

“I’ve lived in small towns my whole life - in the Midwest, in Alaska, and now in New England. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not a more decent person because of rural life, but I act more decently than I probably would if I didn’t have to see these people again.

If the person in front of me at the bank drive-thru is talking on her cell phone instead of moving along, my first impulse might be to honk the horn with a hollered “Come. On!” thrown in for good measure. But small town people don’t honk their horns unless we’re picking up kids at the neighbor’s or shooing a dog out of the road….

Rural people think that city people think they’re stupid. City people think rural people think they’re stupid. They’re both right enough of the time to keep things awkward and make both sides wary….

In this political season there are people trying to take advantage of this real but harmless rivalry between town and country. One side slips with a not-uncommon opinion about the bitter, religious gun nuts in rural America. The other side counters that small towns are the last refuge of all that is right and decent and true about the American character, and if you are not from one you could never understand that. They’re both wrong. I’ve met as many wrong-headed and indecent characters in the country as anywhere else and some of the sweetest and most generous people I know think milk comes from cartons. I’ve met stupid lawyers and genius farmers. Pacifist hunters and environmental militants.

The only real difference between living in a small town or a big one is that it’s harder to avoid people you don’t like out here. It forces you to get to know them. It requires patience sometimes. And you often have to politely listen to views you don’t agree with. It doesn’t make us bitter, but it does make us better. At least better than we would be.”

You can read more of Tom’s writing at his blog.

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