From the Open Space part of the Rural Futures Conference: Connecting Innovation that Teresa Posakony and I hosted. In a morning there were 33 meetings called over two sessions. There were about 200 people participating with the umbrella question below. I caught a few words from each of the group leaders sharing. You can read below. And / or listen here on you tube.
What could we contribute to a Rural Futures Institute
that rocks you, Nebraska, the Great Plains, and beyond?
A Wildly Successful Rural Futures Institute
A wildly successful rural futures institute
plural ideas or rural success
not mildly but wildly.
When it rocks it knocks off your socks
removes the blocks
and makes you talk.
Is it massively ambitious?
These are not times for the passively curious,
but rather for the first next steps.
Bold. Not old.
Out of the mold.
Simple, but bold.
Recommendations in these
stations of germination
of the RFI.
Friends, colleagues, an invitation.
Thirty-three groups, troops
of contributing thinkers.
Going first from Table 1,
Empowering Our Future Stakeholders
the young, the ones from K-college
to expand the vistas of knowledge.
We need houses for our youth,
and partnering with architects, to detect
interest in these populations of Nebraska,
self-promoting, opening to strangers,
interns, and in-learns.
It’s our turn in rural Lancaster.
How could we measure desired outcomes?
Challenge assumptions and presumptions.
Self-determination is our recommendation.
How do we insure diverse voices at the table?
For sure.
Invite, invite, invite.
Include, include, include.
Technology and it’s role —
broadband throughout the land.
Encouraging all of us as leaders
beyond blow ins and blow outs
regional connecting, including in the CAVES.
Focus on natural resources,
our course is, of course is,
core regional groups
collaborating, not just duplicating.
We want solid partners where
rural means rural and
rural includes rural.
It’s different because we talked about it.
Entertaining with youth,
community coaching, and approaching
others who sustain and incentivize
health and health care.
In the gaps
we explored education for every child —
high tech to high touch.
And across three generations of leaders,
we call for unstoppable civic engagement.
Unstoppable building relations.
Unstoppable listening.
Unstoppable learning in next ideas.
Attracting entrepreneurs,
quirky harvesting of ideas
for the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
What happens after the conversation?
We want to start with simple steps.
Rural futures begin
with vibrant rural communities.
What about youth?
We can’t have a future
without building one.
Impact can be fun!
What about the role of scholars?
a web of exchange for learning, advocacy, and policy.
Helping to reach to others in the country.
We are reframing the game of leaders.
From the status quo to status go.
Embrace the leader in each of us,
the all of us, here to contribute.
What about Extention and the institute?
Tie it to other campus locations,
linked in our success,
as a must, a trust.
How much repopulating?
Wait, what IS rural?
Let the stakeholders decide on this ride.
Poll it to role with it.
Support climate change impact.
Add to what is happening
to feed global leaders.
I’m Haley. I’m Melissa.
Engage us by inviting our responsibility.
We want to connect.
We know how!
What is the role of agriculture?
It’s a role, an outcome.
Not to be undone.
Essential to credential.
Multi-modal transportation?
We don’t have a department,
but we need part of that pie.
High in corn growing,
in this association, we lack the red tape.
We can involve more.
We can evolve mere.
Empower through your own stories,
motivating communities to do from vision,
action from vision, that’s our mission;
good to add what’s missing.
Innovating — connecting the edges.
Integrating imagination and the offerings of possibility.
Big dreams start with people in relationship.