THE RURBAN FRINGE

Exploring Rural Development: Rural Brain Drain

As an online colleague of mine, I’m pleased to present Joanne Steele, the fifth contributor to The ‘Fringe’s limited online series exploring rural/rurban development.  Not only does Joanne have loads of experience under her belt, she is generous with her time and knowledge and shares this online, as well as in numerous other venues.  Her strong travel and tourism background [...]

Speak Loudly and Carry a Very Small Stick

… a lot of small sticks can kindle a great fire.

The Art of Community Building

Community building is part art, part science.  Just getting out there and spreading the word is not enough, community organizers and facilitators also need to understand the nuances of working with people from a variety of backgrounds as well as apply the principles of good, old-fashioned relationship-building.
Command and control is dead. 
To fully engage people to work for the [...]

How Community Groups Destroy Themselves

Managing volunteer groups is tough … it’s tough recruiting people, connecting people, and keeping people on track when different agendas come to the fore (as they always will).  But do community groups drive away their best members?  The Citizen’s Handbook, a publication by Vancouver Citizens Committee, outlines what causes grassroots rot …
Too little fun.
People who [...]

Farmers Markets Must Cater to the Consumer

Local food is cool.  It’s a trend seen everywhere these days … on TV, in newspapers, online.  Yet even with the expansion of many markets catering to food that is grown and produced locally, there are many more farmers markets who struggle to remain open.
Why?  Poor or no market management is typically one reason.  But perhaps [...]

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