The evening began with conversations among people living in the same geographic region.  Members of each group were asked to share why they came to the Gathering and to name examples of positive rural-urban connections.  Individual comments were posted on flipcharts to encourage the exchange of ideas during the event and later transcribed to benefit further development of the RurbMN Project.

What drew people to attend the Rural Urban Gathering?  Most wanted to learn about people and organizations doing similar work, hoping to use that information for activities such as community building and economic development.  “I am here to work on establishing connections to help grow our communities and improve the quality of life for our residents,” said one participant, while another hoped “to further local community sustainable momentum through connections and knowledge of interdependent resources.” 

“I want to understand others’ work and where they do the work.  I hope to gain more allies and more ideas of how to achieve goals.”  Comments such as these indicate that attendees believe that others are addressing similar challenges throughout the state, but without a forum to bring people together, everyone is attempting to find solutions and create opportunities in isolation.  People want to learn from each other and collaborate, both for the benefit of their communities and for the state as a whole.  “Challenges and issues are interconnected; solutions must be, too,” is how one person described it.

Perhaps as a consequence of this isolation, a number of people commented on misunderstandings between rural and urban:  “Urban people don’t understand the challenges facing farmers and how complex local food can be.” There’s a “misunderstanding of farmers by urbanites and vice versa.”  “Weak ties between urban headquarters and rural plants; could drop rural partner for another state or country.”  “Stereotypes of backwardness are supported by lack of cooperation between rural and urban.”  “In urban areas, rural connections are not covered or acknowledged because it is considered a completely separate world.”

What are the existing connections between rural and urban that participants want to build upon?  Participants cited efforts around renewable energy, local foods, government, transportation, education, farmers markets, law enforcement, research, water resources, library services, technology, art, public television, nonprofit organizations, economic development, tourism and co-ops.  Some examples were organizations, while others were local, regional or statewide programs or events.

During the next part of the process, the entire room brainstormed topic areas or sectors related to rural-urban connections and then each person selected an issue for further conversation.  The sectors people chose to talk about were transportation, broadband, energy, food, business/economic development, entrepreneurship, education, infrastructure/public works/water, aging and immigration.   The larger group also identified other topics that should be considered in the future:  homelessness/people at risk, faith community/volunteerism, second homes, industry clusters, recreation/tourism, heritage, brain drain, youth entrepreneurship and preservation.  Each group that convened around a chosen sector discussed what rural and urban have in common, described challenges associated with collaboration and discussed positive examples of rural urban connections.

Participants obviously focused on the fact that that both urban and rural are experiencing job losses due to the recession and budget cuts.  Other common challenges are

• the demand for more transportation options both for people and for the movement of goods (“Want and need options for mobility other than hop in the car—polling confirms this.”),
• difficulty obtaining capital for entrepreneurial ventures (“Young people, immigrants and refugees have a particularly challenging time finding access to capital.”)and
• increasing need for investment in infrastructure (“Dramatically decreased local government funding for services results in horrendous challenges to maintaining infrastructure and local quality of life.”). 

Those particular challenges were mentioned as issues for a variety of sectors, including transportation, food, entrepreneurship and energy.    

Participants also identified points of common interest that they thought should be developed for the benefit of the state as a whole.   The entrepreneurship sector noted that rural and urban “both have a vested interest in developing entrepreneurial projects and sharing resources” because a significant number of people in both areas are starting their own businesses in response to economic difficulty.  They commented that improving the flow of information about business development strategies, networking opportunities and technical assistance would go a long way towards supporting new ventures.  “Social media is driving connections between urban and rural” was an observation repeated in several sector groups.  Technology was viewed as an effective way to link people interested in areas such as local food production and K-12 education, in addition to economic development.  “Both realities have access to online communities.  The use of the internet can foster and create new rural-urban links and connections,” according to someone in the education group.

The examples of successful collaboration again were organizations (such as the Minnesota Food Association, Minitex and the University of Minnesota Extension Service) and programs (for example the Minnesota Design Team, Dream of Wild Health and Buy Fresh Buy Local) that connect people with each other and with resources.

Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc., will use this information to shape the RurbMN project.  Efforts to document, illustrate, strengthen and expand rural urban connections will be enriched by the experiences and opinions people shared during the Gathering.

You can download contest guidelines and applications and learn more about the 2010 contest (including summaries of award-winning community projects from the 2009 25^th anniversary competition) here.  There is no charge for contest entry, though a donation of $25 is welcomed to help cover contest logistics.

All communities will be recognized, winners announced, and cash awards distributed August 29 at the Minnesota State Fair.  Everyone is encouraged to have a display the day of the celebration because the event is a fun way for people all over the state to learn about your community’s project.  We’ll give two free State Fair admission tickets to each community that lets us know in advance that they’re coming on August 29.

The program is co-sponsored by the Minnesota State Fair, MinnPost.com, and Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. and is open to all Minnesota communities, including neighborhoods.  Special categories this year include Rural Urban Partnering and Youth-Led Community Engagement.

Category-Specific Awards are for existing or emerging projects that fall within specific categories such as arts, broadband, entrepreneurship and more and take place in a community or neighborhood. Communities of all sizes are invited to nominate a project, including neighborhood associations within larger towns or cities.

Comprehensive, Community-Wide Awards are for existing or emerging efforts in a community or neighborhood, with projects that involve multiple sectors and organizations working together to improve their community. In this community-wide improvement recognition contest, communities compete with other communities based on population size.

Weaving through all submissions should be evidence of the Reinventing Minnesota motto:  Connect, Create, Thrive — citizen engagement, collaboration, innovation, creativity, imagination, problem solving, awareness, and information sharing.

To talk to a human being about this competition, call Emily Kissane at 651-983-9095, or Jane Leonard at 651-303-5263.

We look forward to receiving your applications!

Attendance surpassed organizers’ predictions. Energy at the one evening-one day event was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Half of the attendees had never been to Morris before. What a bonus for first-timers to experience a part of their state different from their home communities.

That’s all good news for everyone concerned with Minnesota’s resilience in the face of economic challenges. Last year the 2009 event was cancelled due to low registration – it was a year beset by economic cuts and fears. Let it be said that the 2010 event exemplified hope and determination, to invest in our communities again, to know we have a thriving future ahead of us, if we put our heads and hearts together and give each other a hand up. You can see more on the combined Symposium and Rural Urban Gathering atwww.centerforsmalltowns.org and www.rurb.mn.

As co-host of this event, we at Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. (MRP, Inc.) wish to thank our other co-host, the UM Morris Center for Small Towns, and other partners, such as the UM Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and the Association of Small Cities, for having the confidence and taking the risk to help people meet face-to-face again. Thanks as well to the Blandin Foundation and other sponsors. We needed everyone to pull together to pull this off, and we did! Thank You!

We want to keep the momentum going, to continue to share good ideas from communities across Minnesota. So be sure to sign up for the Reinventing Minnesota-Minnesota Community Pride Competition, hosted by the Minnesota State Fair, MRP, Inc., and MinnPost.com. The entry deadline is July 16. All communities will be recognized, winners announced, and cash awards given out at the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday, August 29. Check it out at www.reinventingminnesota.org or call Emily Kissane at 651-983-9095.

The previous is an excerpt by Jane Leonard from the Minnesota Rural Partners Round-up online newsletter.  Read the June 2010 MN Rural Round-up in it’s entirety online.

Many thanks to reception hosts U of MN Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and to The Strollers, Southwest Minnesota’s premier acoustic blues trio.

If you were unable to join us, but are interested in learning more about or participating in the Rural-Urban Partnering Council, send us an email at feedback@rurb.mn.

The Rural Urban Gathering begins this evening, Wednesday, June 9, from 6:30 – 8:30 and is followed by a reception hosted by the U of MN Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and entertainment is by The Strollers, Southwest Minnesota’s premier acoustic blues trio.

The focus of the gathering will be on the formation of the Rural-Urban Partnering Council with its emphasis on education, workforce and entrepreneurship to increase innovation and wealth creation across Minnesota. All are welcome to attend and to consider becoming a member of the inaugural Council.  If you are unable to join us, but are interested in learning more about or participating in the Rural-Urban Partnering Council, send us an email at feedback@rurb.mn.

The Symposium on Small Towns will be held all day on Thursday, June 10. The theme for this year’s Symposium is Finding Solutions and Redefining Communities.  In tough economic times, the importance of connecting with people and ideas outside of our local situations becomes vital.  The agenda includes panel discussions, keynote speakers, showcase fair, policy panel and breakout sessions that focus on leadership, capacity building and practical improvements for small communities and strengthening rural-urban connections to build back a thriving Minnesota for all.

The Symposium on Small Towns is co-hosted by the University of Minnesota, Morris Center for Small Towns and Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc.

We are in the business of promoting the public purposes of higher education. As a result, we may have downplayed the connections civic engagement has to career and workforce development, perhaps out of a sense that they represented a focus on personal gain — or on preparing students to fit into the world as it is, rather than encouraging critical thinking and creative action. Yet these goals are not mutually exclusive; they actually complement and enhance each other in countless ways.

(Read the entire post here)

What are your thoughts?  Is civic engagement good for workforce development?  How do you involve students in civic engagement and service learning opportunities in your community? Leave a comment below or come and join in on the discussion at the Symposium on Small Towns and Rural Urban Gathering on June 9th and 10th.

Marcy Hanneman, Community Services Director for Breckenridge Public Schools, told the group about her department’s programs and activities, which include classes, home visits, childcare visits, support for teenage parents and a dental clinic.  They collaborate with Early Childhood Family Education providers, public health practitioners, the school district and court system.  They are part of the Wilkin County Early Childhood Initiative and receive funding from the United Way and the Initiative Foundation.

The current budget environment has led to greater collaboration among community service partners.  They meet regularly to discuss case management, ensuring that clients receive necessary services without a duplication of effort.  The economic downturn has placed more people at risk, and service providers are seeing more young people and an increased diversity of families.  This tougher caseload requires more management and support services.

Marcy also described her department’s close relationship with Wahpeton, North Dakota.  Breckenridge provides Early Childhood Family Education classes and other services that Wahpeton and surrounding communities do not have.  As their services area has increased, telecommunication and other technologies have been invaluable to keeping people connected.

Hugh Dufner discussed his organic potato business, Hugh’s Gardens, which is located near Moorhead (the potato packing shed is in downtown Halstad).  Hugh grew up in the Red River Valley, and after service with the Peace Corp and work in East Africa, he returned to Minnesota to begin his organic farm enterprise.  His potatoes currently are sold locally, in the Twin Cities and as far away as Pennsylvania and California.  Hugh is interested in pursuing business with colleges, universities and schools in the state as well as looking to cooperative distribution with other producers.  Hugh speaks Spanish and shares his talents helping others with interpretation and in building relationships with Spanish-speaking workers.

Learn about and share more stories at the upcoming Symposium on Small Towns & Rural Urban Gathering,  June 9 and 10 at the University of Minnesota Morris. There are great sessions and a Rural-Urban Gathering (the evening of June 9 at the Prairie Inn in Morris) that can help you help your community thrive in these ever-changing times.  Registration is just $65 and there are still scholarships available to cover registration. Get more information and register at http://www.morris.umn.edu/cst/symposium/2010/.

Hope to see you in Morris!

We are excited to be launching Minnesota Main Street to assist local communities in their commercial district revitalization efforts.  This first year, we have a very short application window for communities to apply and be accepted as Designated Minnesota Main Street programs due to funding time constraints.  Application and registration materials, along with more detailed information are available online here: http://www.mnpreservation.org/programs/main-street/

We want to ensure that we are helping communities succeed with this model of downtown revitalization.  To provide us with the necessary time to make this important selection, we are requesting that the application for Designated MN Main Street Programs be filled out and returned to the office of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota no later than 5 p.m. on June 21, 2010.

The difference between “Designated MN Main Street Communities” and “Associate Members”…

Designated Minnesota Main Street Program

This is a local commercial district revitalization program that uses the Four-Point approach, has broad community support, paid staff, and meets (or will soon be able to meet) other standards.

Associate Member Community of Minnesota Main Street

This may range from a community just learning about Main Street with a group of volunteers to a long-standing downtown development group with years of success under its belt. Only need to send in registration form with payment, no selection criteria applies.

Minnesota Main Street is already in the process of considering our application timeline for the 2011 program designation.  Please note that applicants not selected in 2010 will be given feedback about their application to use in reapplying in 2011.  The 2011 application process will also favorably weight applications from communities that are Minnesota Main Street Associate Members this year.

For more information,  please contact Emily Northey at (651) 293-9047 or by email at enorthey@mnpreservation.org with any questions you have along the way. www.mnpreservation.org

The Minnesota Main Street Program is recognized by the National Trust Main Street Center® as the official statewide coordinating program in Minnesota. The Minnesota Main Street Program has been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

We are delighted to announce that the “Reinventing Minnesota – Minnesota Community Pride Competition” is open for applications as of June 1, 2010, with all communities recognized, winners announced, and cash awards distributed August 29 at the Minnesota State Fair. Applications are due July 16, 2010.  There is no charge for contest entry, though a donation of $25 is welcomed to help cover contest logistics.

You can download contest guidelines and applications and learn more about the 2010 contest (including summaries of award-winning community projects from the 2009 25^th anniversary competition) at http://www.reinventingminnesota.org/mn_pride.html .

The program is co-sponsored by the Minnesota State Fair, MinnPost.com, and Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. and is open to all Minnesota communities, including neighborhoods.  Special categories this year include Rural Urban Partnering and Youth-Led Community Engagement.

Category-Specific Awards are for existing or emerging projects that fall within specific categories such as arts, broadband, entrepreneurship and more and take place in a community or neighborhood. Communities of all sizes are invited to nominate a project, including neighborhood associations within larger towns or cities.

Comprehensive, Community-Wide Awards are for existing or emerging efforts in a community or neighborhood, with projects that involve multiple sectors and organizations working together to improve their community. In this community-wide improvement recognition contest, communities compete with other communities based on population size.

Weaving through all submissions should be evidence of the Reinventing Minnesota motto:  Connect, Create, Thrive — citizen engagement, collaboration, innovation, creativity, imagination, problem solving, awareness, and information sharing.

To talk to a human being about this competition, call Emily Kissane at 651-983-9095, or Jane Leonard at 651-303-5263.

And/Or:

Check out the Minnesota Community Pride information table and other hands-on community resources – such as Minnesota Main Street and the Minnesota Design Team —  at the upcoming Symposium on Small Towns & Rural Urban Gathering,  June 9 and 10 at the University of Minnesota Morris. There are great sessions and a Rural-Urban Gathering (the evening of June 9 at the Prairie Inn in Morris) that can help you help your community thrive in these ever-changing times.  Registration is just $65 and there are still scholarships available to cover registration. Get more information and register at http://www.morris.umn.edu/cst/symposium/2010/

We look forward to receiving your applications!

Jane Leonard
President
Minnesota Rural Partners
www.minnesotaruralpartners.org