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IF ONE THING, MORE THAN ANY OTHER, distinguishes a real neighborhood from the corporate machine-architecture of the 20th-century developer, it is the fact that real people have -- together -- conceived it, planned it, and built it. It is this human reality which makes it worth living in, pleasant to be there, and most valuable.
It is our belief that when communities recognize the needs of the people as opportunities, then turn the focus onto their natural assets rather than their needs, they can often integrate citizens into productive community life, strengthen their infrastructure, create new business opportunities, improve local health and service delivery, and bring about better conditions for the U.S. and abroad.
Related Links:
Creating Heart Healthy Communities
Community Weaving
Great American Neighborhood (Smart Growth pdf)
Creating Human Community
Our Elderly Community
Walkable, livable communities continue to grow in popularity
It is our belief that when communities recognize the needs of the people as opportunities, then turn the focus onto their natural assets rather than their needs, they can often integrate citizens into productive community life, strengthen their infrastructure, create new business opportunities, improve local health and service delivery, and bring about better conditions for the U.S. and abroad.
Related Links:
Creating Heart Healthy Communities
Community Weaving
Great American Neighborhood (Smart Growth pdf)
Creating Human Community
Our Elderly Community
Walkable, livable communities continue to grow in popularity
Fifty-six million people live and work in rural America. Over 25 million proprietor-owned businesses operate in rural America. One fourth of all part time and full time jobs in rural America are linked to rural proprietors. Current data clearly show that small businesses generate the lion’s share of new jobs in rural America. Residents value their communities and know they contribute significantly to the local, state and national economy. Yet most residents, businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations living and working in rural America feel that their voices and needs are continually being reduced by state and federal government.
Our philosophy is that small,rural communities can control their destiny by investing their own time, talent, and money in small business development, leadership development, youth engagement, and local philanthropy.
Four Cornerstones to
Come Back/Give Back
Our philosophy is that small,rural communities can control their destiny by investing their own time, talent, and money in small business development, leadership development, youth engagement, and local philanthropy.
Four Cornerstones to
Come Back/Give Back
1. Gathering Local Leaders
For small towns to compete in the 21st century they must tap into everyone’s potential knowledge, talent, and aspirations. We reject the outdated notion of relying on the usual leader group to get things done. Rural communities must be intentional about recruiting and nurturing a diverse group of people; including women, minorities, and young people into decision-making roles. They need continuing leadership mentoring, because today’s leadership must constantly reinvent itself to reflect the challenges of a changing global environment.
2. Redirecting Wealth
Rural residents do not always recognize local wealth because so much of it is held through land ownership. Most people are at first shocked, and then highly motivated, once they understand the enormous amount of local wealth that will likely transfer to their children who have moved out of the area.
In rural Oregon alone, more than billions of dollars are at stake over the next few decades. Both the power and the will to use these assets will no longer be tied to the community unless planned gifts are cultivated now. Understanding this, we suggest small groups working together in each community to target conversion of at least 5 percent of local wealth transfer into charitable assets endowed in community foundations to fund future community and economic development efforts. In a very small community, this can start with the Chamber of Commerce who builds business leadership. With local people funding local community economic, entrepreneurship, scholarships for training toward local development, the community keeps its assets by putting the wealth back into the community that will sustain itself through its own efforts.
3. Energizing Creative Entrepreneurship
Far too many rural communities continue to invest resources in economic development for job creation and business development that exports, rather than builds, local wealth. We highly encourage communities to become actively involved in nurturing local enterprise in five areas:
1) saving and/or building Main Street and other key businesses through planned ownership succession;
2) creating new wealth and good jobs by helping small entrepreneurial companies that have the potential to break-through to a broader product line;
3) building a local co-operative for home-based businesses to pool their resources and income for insurance and local martketing outlets;
4) using local charitable assets to support entrepreneurship; and
5) organizing local Chambers of Commerce and charitable service groups to support the business community, and the community needs at large.
4. Attracting Young People
It is not just the call of the city that impels them; it is also the lack of opportunity and encouragement to “come back” that drives young people away from their hometowns. We believe that this trend can be halted by using existing data, working together on gathering individual goals into group goals that realistically reflect the goals of the youth and builds community.
This information is gleaned from Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, in which we loved the idea of redirecting wealth and ownership succession. This in itself would build the necessary foundation for a solid citizenry and continue to attract new and young families to the community.
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Sustainable Life Info Copyright © 2006-2008 DLH Business Associates. All rights reserved.
For small towns to compete in the 21st century they must tap into everyone’s potential knowledge, talent, and aspirations. We reject the outdated notion of relying on the usual leader group to get things done. Rural communities must be intentional about recruiting and nurturing a diverse group of people; including women, minorities, and young people into decision-making roles. They need continuing leadership mentoring, because today’s leadership must constantly reinvent itself to reflect the challenges of a changing global environment.
2. Redirecting Wealth
Rural residents do not always recognize local wealth because so much of it is held through land ownership. Most people are at first shocked, and then highly motivated, once they understand the enormous amount of local wealth that will likely transfer to their children who have moved out of the area.
In rural Oregon alone, more than billions of dollars are at stake over the next few decades. Both the power and the will to use these assets will no longer be tied to the community unless planned gifts are cultivated now. Understanding this, we suggest small groups working together in each community to target conversion of at least 5 percent of local wealth transfer into charitable assets endowed in community foundations to fund future community and economic development efforts. In a very small community, this can start with the Chamber of Commerce who builds business leadership. With local people funding local community economic, entrepreneurship, scholarships for training toward local development, the community keeps its assets by putting the wealth back into the community that will sustain itself through its own efforts.
3. Energizing Creative Entrepreneurship
Far too many rural communities continue to invest resources in economic development for job creation and business development that exports, rather than builds, local wealth. We highly encourage communities to become actively involved in nurturing local enterprise in five areas:
1) saving and/or building Main Street and other key businesses through planned ownership succession;
2) creating new wealth and good jobs by helping small entrepreneurial companies that have the potential to break-through to a broader product line;
3) building a local co-operative for home-based businesses to pool their resources and income for insurance and local martketing outlets;
4) using local charitable assets to support entrepreneurship; and
5) organizing local Chambers of Commerce and charitable service groups to support the business community, and the community needs at large.
4. Attracting Young People
It is not just the call of the city that impels them; it is also the lack of opportunity and encouragement to “come back” that drives young people away from their hometowns. We believe that this trend can be halted by using existing data, working together on gathering individual goals into group goals that realistically reflect the goals of the youth and builds community.
This information is gleaned from Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, in which we loved the idea of redirecting wealth and ownership succession. This in itself would build the necessary foundation for a solid citizenry and continue to attract new and young families to the community.
top of page
Sustainable Life Info Copyright © 2006-2008 DLH Business Associates. All rights reserved.
BUILDING COMMUNITY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS
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