Forum Activity for @deb-wisniewski

Sharing our Context

ABCD and Rural Communities

I live on 5 acres of woods, surrounding by several hundred acres of woods, on a small island on Lake Michigan in the US. We are a 30-minute ferry ride from the mainland. Our tiny community has about 700 full-time residents, a couple thousand people who have a second home here and come for the summer and/or vacations, plus numerous visitors who vacation or come for the day. People here are very creative.... lots of musicians and artists, plus people being creative about coming up with different ways to earn money. Much of our economy is based on tourism. We were one of those seasonal folks - We've had our house for 15+ years and moved here full-time 3+ years ago. We're excited these days because there are a number of new babies being born, which means their parents - young couples/families - are staying here and choosing to raise their children here (at least for now). Biggest challenge right now is internet.... expensive, unreliable, not fast, doesn't reach everywhere. 

As we like to say here... "we are it"....meaning if we want something to happen, we all have to make it happen. As a result, lots of engaged folks.

What does it mean to be Rural?

ABCD and Rural Communities

wow! You have a lot here, Derek. Just skimming through this, one thing popped out at me. I actually felt like I had more privacy (and isolation) when I lived in the city, compared to the very rural area I live in now. I feel like people know a lot more about me now, pay more attention to what I'm doing, share info about me (gossip?) now that I live in a rural area. We have a joke in our family... when we drive around here, we don't need to use turn signals... why? because everyone already knows where I'm going!

Seriously, in the city, we had some great people in our neighborhood but it was really easy to disconnect from people. Here in our rural community, the typical greeting when we first moved here was "Now who are you and whose house do you live in?" People would stop and ask you that even at the grocery store. 

One other thought.... I see so many rural areas (including ours) increasingly moving away from farming due to the mega farms that are moving in and focusing more on tourism - people visiting from the cities and "getting away from it all" for a week or a weekend. Have other folks seen that as well? 

Deb

PS We definitely live in a rural area and we are a town (of 700 people), not a hamlet or a village. I wonder how those are defined and who decides....

Small Town Creed: An Idea-Friendly Town

ABCD and Rural Communities

It's pretty wonderful, isn't it? It was good to see you this morning!

Deb

The Anti-Indigenous Handbook

ABCD and Indigenous Communities/First Nations

I came across this today and thought I'd share it with you all. I admit that I just skimmed it (I usually try to read things pretty thoroughly before sharing) but it came from a reliable source and I thought you all might want to check it out.

The Anti-indigenous Handbook: https://www.texasobserver.org/the-anti-indigenous-handbook/

Deb

Changing the Narrative about Native Americans: A guide for allies

ABCD and Indigenous Communities/First Nations

I thought this looked interesting....

Changing the narrative about Native Americans: A guide for allies

updated by @deb-wisniewski: 09/30/20 02:27:17PM

Small Town Creed: An Idea-Friendly Town

ABCD and Rural Communities

I was able to participate in a really interesting conference - the Radically Rural Summit - on Sept. 24. One of the first things I want to share from this event is the Small Town Creed, from Saveyour.town. It's so asset-based without even mentioning ABCD. You can find it here or open the attached file.

You might also want to watch this short video about creating an idea-friendly town

Working On: Updating our website

Community News

Hi Christine - Before I click on your link, can you tell us something about your organization and what you hope to do with your website? That would help us know what we're looking at/for...

Thanks!

Deb

What is your favorite resource or tool when you work with rural communities?

ABCD and Rural Communities

I'm always interested in what works with different communities. Is there a particular resource or tool that you find helpful when working with rural communities?

updated by @deb-wisniewski: 07/10/20 04:54:49PM

A great resource: Rural Assembly & Center for Rural Strategies

ABCD and Rural Communities

I came across interesting rural resources recently. You might want to check them out....

Rural Assembly This group posts on FaceBook and they have a great newsletter. Check them out!

Here's how they describe themselves: We are on a path toward building a rural movement that empowers leaders, and connects them to each other, helps urban-based institutions engage with rural communities effectively, and offers the country a reliable network of rural problem solvers

Center for Rural Strategies

The Rural Assembly is a project of the Center for Rural Strategies. The Center's mission is:

At the Center for Rural Strategies, we seek to improve economic and social conditions for communities in the countryside and around the world through the creative and innovative use of media and communications. We strive to create better opportunities for small towns and rural communities by building coalitions, developing partnerships, leading public information campaigns, and advancing strategies that strengthen connections between rural and urban places.

 

updated by @deb-wisniewski: 05/21/20 04:18:14PM

How are you taking care of yourself during this difficult time?

Coronavirus and Communities

One thing I really appreciate about where I live is the beautiful natural world right outside my door. I have many places where I can walk and still keep appropriate physical distancing from people. This picture is of a swamp near our home. It's one of my favorite places to walk, especially now that spring is coming. It's really beautiful and full of life.

 

updated by @deb-wisniewski: 03/27/20 02:01:35PM