Closed, Closed, Closed

Heading back home after a long weekend meant quite a few hours of travel. What a better way to pass the time but to chat and drive with a hot chocolate. Finding an independent, non-chain coffee shop open on a Monday statutory holiday was challenging. Two very touristy communities had no such shops open. The only place to buy a to-go drink were gas stations and Tim Horton's.

How does this reflect on rural development? I do believe people need days off, especially the independent, small shop owners. However, on the last "big" weekend of the summer when there is expected high traffic, having a closed sign is unwise. That closed sign gives the message that "your business is not important to me".

One part of rural development is about delivering services to local residents and often to tourists. In my case, as a tourist I was turned away and dissatisfied; how often are local people in small communities dissatisfied? When businesses fail to meet the needs of the local residents then people shop elsewhere. Sometimes these needs are longer business hours, an increase in the variety of goods or services, and being responsive to customers. It may be challenging or not make sense to stay open when few people come in, but sometimes it takes time to get the word out that a business is open longer. Local residents have an equal responsibility to meet the needs of the business owners. Residents need to frequent local services and businesses for business longevity.

Rural development in one of those areas that helps to increase quality of life for people. Businesses and services aide in helping people shop local, create employment, increase economic strength, and build community. Often the local diner is the "hub" of the community where people stop to chat over coffee and food. Sometimes even a local event will be held at the local diner. Starting a business in a rural community encourages people's talents and passions, and even their dreams.

Turn the sign over to "open" even when it may not make sense and welcome people in- there may be some surprises.

Friendly Competition

Sometimes competition can spur people to take action in communities. Keeping the competition on a friendly basis ensures that there are no ill feeling and builds relationships between communities and regions. Sometimes the competition can be within a community or between similar organizations. Often these friendly competitions can help bring awareness to a cause or organization or even raise funds.

At other times, competition can get ugly. Recently, I heard of a community striving for the title of "most beautiful town in Canada". Apparently, one eastern town and one western town in Canada both claim the title and one town is pushing for the sole title. This possibly means legal action. The town who may have to remove the title would have to spend a lot of money to amend websites and print materials. Such a title is important to tourism and marketing strategies for a community. However, is such a title worth strife between two communities so far apart? Tourists will go where they want to visit and a town with a title of "most beautiful town in Canada" miles and miles apart is really in low competition of each other.

Tag lines play an important role in tourism. Tag lines to attract tourists and future residents are important to communities. Branding the community helps to build the community image and reflect community values. When that branding infringes upon another community then something needs to change. However, does it need to change to the point of potential legal implications? That strong competitive value would definitely stand out and send a message.

The answer may be to build on friendly competition where organizations or communities can build relationships and pool resources together, rather than repel each other.

If paradise is where we are, then paradise is everywhere. That means the most beautiful place to be is right where you are!

Nowhere... But Somewhere

Have you ever driven down a rural road and wondered what people "do" because it seems so desolate? Have you ever commented that a community seemed to be in the middle of nowhere? My husband did that as we travelled through BC on our two week tenting trip. We travelled some of the secondary roads where communities were further apart and had few amenities. He wondered if we ever bought property in one of those more remote areas what his mother would do when she visited?!!

Sometimes I think it is about perspective when people comment about "living in the middle of nowhere". Every community is "somewhere" and most people live where they are because they think it is paradise. The perspective could be based on rural experiences or what people believe "somewhere" means to them. Another perspective could clearly be urban versus rural, but even with that perspective there are differences with urban, rural, and remote. Size, proximity, and amenities all contribute to those particular categories. Often those attributes affect funding to a community or individual in a number of ways. I have heard that sometimes when people in rural communities are asked about living rural, they say "this isn't rural- go to the next community- now that is rural!" It really is about perspective!

Perhaps living where some people would label as "nowhere" is about quality of life. What do people value about their quality of life? More and more I hear about people moving into rural communities, giving up their car, growing their food, volunteering in the community, getting away from the hustle and bustle, and seeking solitude. Maybe that is what living "nowhere" is all about; living in a place where you can set the pace yourself and surround yourself with nature and the things you love.

I know of one university professor who usually schedules two or three day meetings in a rural area where direct access to a local airport or buying an espresso is out of the question. She tells me that at first the city folk are in distress because the cell phone coverage is at best, limited, and people don't seem to know what to do with themselves. Finally, by the end of the day people are loosening up and relaxing. The talent of people begin to emerge with guitars and singing, or even a card game or two.

When I hear the comment "this is in the middle of nowhere" I now tend to reflect and wonder what the other person means by that. What gauge is being used to label a community as being in the middle of nowhere? How would someone describe their quality of life in their community relevant to another? Should two communities even be compared for quality of life? I think asking other people in where you live how they view the community in terms of quality of life would be an excellent process to go through. It would help people understand each other's perspective and look for opportunities for growth.

So, when you are driving down that remote, rural road and wondering why people live in the middle of "nowhere" remember, "nowhere is somewhere"... it is someone's paradise!

Garage Sales Unite

My neighbourhood is in an older area where there is a mix of long term residents and more recently moved in people, like us. I decided to combine my love of garage sales and community together and started to plan a neighbourhood garage sale. There were wonderful unexpected outcomes and I can only imagine that next year will be bigger and better.

What I love about ideas is that when you share them, you never know how those ideas will turn out. I believed I had to do my "research" first to find out if a neighbourhood garage sale had ever happened. As it turned out, there hadn't been one, but that very weekend my neighbour and her friends were planning one. Some discussions happened amongst that group and it was decided to set a later date and invite the neighbours to join in this venture.

Over a cup of tea we decided what the invitation should say and came up with key points to share. One of the important things we thought to have on the invitation was the "why". Four points of "why" included 1) your cast offs could be some one's treasure, 2) meet your neighbours, 3) encourage recycling, and 4) just to have fun! Flyers were dropped off in each mail box of the neighbourhood and then we waited.

The invitation worked! There were about 14 neighbours who participated, and quite a few neighbours called to say they were away but would participate next time. Someone put signs up while another person put balloons out. One woman said she didn't want to have a garage sale, but would host a barbeque for those who had a garage sale. What a gem!

The end of the garage sale day came and we all headed over to our neighbour's with potluck contributions. Food, fun, and conversations were held with babes to seniors.

This neighbourhood garage sale was a success because it met the outcomes of meeting neighbours, recycling, having fun, and building relationships. When I reflect on the process what really happened was a community development approach to an event. Invitations to participate with a smaller group, talking about strengths, some informal research, setting priorities on how to best implement the event, and then broadening the invitation to others.

I only made $25 at my garage sale that day, but the relationships I started to build are priceless.

Babes in the Kitchen

These babes were beautiful... all under 18 months old! At a recent ACE Community Building Workshop in Youngstown the local caterers were hard at work preparing lunch for almost 50 people. At the cooks' feet were three little ones. We did hear an occasional outburst, but nothing loud enough to take the attention away from the speaker.

Having the ability to bring children to a community event is valuable. In this situation, the mothers were able to work, earn extra income, keep their children with them, and support the community. In the communities ACE supports we have heard how important it is to have childcare available during community meetings.

Some communities have created situations where childcare is easily incorporated at community events . The feedback to the local leaders was tremendous. Often having childcare at the event meant spouses could attend. Other times it meant the parent could easily attend and participate in something in the community.

Childcare at community events reflect what communities are all about: uniting all. Child care at an event helps to bridge the gap between generations, provides opportunities for connectedness, elevates pressure on parents, gets more people involved, and reminds people of the different types of needs and groups of people in the community.

Thinking outside the lines on how to offer childcare during a community meeting is a good start to including families with younger children. Areas to tap into for support could be the youth, seniors, faith based groups, other parents, or people from neighbouring communities. Organizing a rotating schedule where different people can help and still participate in meetings would be useful.

Local businesses or parents could offer to supply snacks and toys. There is a tremendous amount of activities for children of all ages on-line and through books from the local library that could be tapped into and used to plan play activities.

Keeping in mind the whole community when planning large meetings helps to build a positive atmosphere. Meeting the needs of parents with children demonstrates to people the value of each community member. After all, those babes in the kitchen are our next leaders and we need to take care of them.

No Bananas for 80 Years

Imagine not eating bananas for 80 years!

The story starts out at a Growing Rural Tourism Conference in Camrose. A dynamic, vibrant, and very energetic key note speaker threw bananas at the delegates. She was using bananas to link to change and working with your best customer: your staff. The speaker shared a story about an elderly man at one of her speaking engagements who had a story about bananas. At seven he peeled an banana and found a worm. Ever since then, this almost 90 year old man has never eaten a banana. He would peel them for his children and grandchildren, but at arm's length.

The speaker bridged the story to change and how some people find change so difficult. Change is one of those processes where some embrace it and others hide from it. Change is inevitable and change happens constantly. Why is it so hard then?

I believe it has to do with attitude. Checking our perception about change is a start. Change for the sake of change is not appropriate. However, helping people understand why the shift has to happen while honoring the past is important.

Rural communities are going through tremendous change. To name a few evident examples of change in rural areas: population shifts; demographics; resource fluctuation; lack of employment or lack of employees; limited internet access; rural culture changes; and lack of diverse volunteers.

But what do these changes mean in terms of community development? It means rural communities need to check-in about attitudes towards change. When communities apply a community development process where stakeholders are involved from the start, postive change can happen. Many communities are already embracing change while keeping the rural roots identity. Innovation is throughout rural Alberta and thinking outside the box is helping communities adjust to the pressures of change.

When you eat your next banana think about the next 80 years- what do you want your community to look like for the next generations?

The Hidden Volunteer

Recently I discovered that my neighbour takes a shopping bag along with him when he takes his daily walk and picks up litter. He told me it is not any bother and does not take time away from his walk. I am amazed at his dedication not only to his own health and wellness, but to the health of the environment. It is these "hidden" volunteers that contribute so much to our lives without us even knowing it. However, these individuals are never recognized, but then again, maybe the wish to remain anonymous.

Volunteerism is the core to our communities. Many of us volunteer or has volunteered at one point or another. Most of us have attended an event or been part of a program where a volunteer was involved. Whether a volunteer is "hidden" or has a more formal role, volunteers are necessary.

This week of April 18-24 it is Volunteer Week and there are special volunteer recognition events happening in many communities. Minister Lindsay Blackett of Culture and Community Spirit shares a special video about volunteerism: http://www.youtube.com/user/AlbertaCulture?feature=mhw5#p/u/1/hS2HjfMLims

Volunteer Alberta has an excellent website with various resources helpful to an organization working with volunteers. People wanting to volunteer can check out their local volunteer organization, the town, or ask a particular organization if there is a need for any volunteers.

Even businesses need volunteers. One community in Alberta worked with local seniors on utilizing the seniors' talents for businesses to "pay off" a community futures loan. Many businesses in the community had taken out a $5,000 loan from Community Futures and in turn the money was used for a bus. This community bus was meant for seniors who could attend out-of-town functions. What a unique way to capture volunteerism!

Whether a person is a "hidden" volunteer or a volunteer involved in a particular organization, our world is definitely a better place for it.