Minnesota has work to do. While we generally are quite optimistic about the future, economic recovery is not reaching all Minnesotans, especially those older, with lower incomes, and small businesses. That’s the top line gleaned from interviews with nearly 2,000 rural and urban Minnesotans. Thanks to a grant from the Minnesota Community Foundation, we were …
The 2012 Road to Equality Tour made a stop July 18 at the Blandin Foundation to share findings from the recent Status of Women & Girls in Minnesota report. A Blandin Foundation grantee, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, along with their research partner, University of MN Humphrey School’s Center on Women & Public Policy, offered …
Graduation season is here – and along with it, the usual discussions of “brain drain:” rural youth leaving in droves for larger towns and cities for college and other post-secondary training. But research by Ben Winchester at the University of Minnesota Extension Service’s Center for Community Vitality suggests there’s another chapter to this story: Rural …
Helping rural communities make the most of broadband takes work on many fronts. Communities across rural Minnesota are successfully tackling various facets of that work as part of the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities (MIRC) project. Community leaders have been focusing their efforts on reducing barriers and encouraging online ventures, and their work is bearing fruit. …
A recent Growth & Justice report—“Whole Towns Coming Together for All Students”—shines the spotlight on rural and greater Minnesota communities that, through community engagement, have come together to find new ways for all students to succeed in the ever-changing economic and culturally diverse landscape. Report author and Growth & Justice President Dane Smith profiles and …
Some very interesting findings were unveiled this week about possibilities and challenges for redesigning the way Minnesota government entities work together. The report, Focus on Outcomes, harvests learning from six regional gatherings of city, county and school board leaders in November 2011. The report highlights three critical lessons: 1. Redesign is facing some barriers to …
It’s that time again… Census data to drive conversation about state demographics and community health. With the release of more 2010 Census data on March 15, that conversation has seen a spike. Some of the most interesting rural-focused coverage is out of Aaron Brown’s MinnesotaBrown blog and Dave Peters’ coverage in Minnesota Public Radio’s Ground …
For anybody trying to make our communities a better place to live, especially those tackling poverty, a recent report out of the Northwest Area Foundation has amazing value. They looked hard at their ideas, processes and practices over their ten years exploring ways to reduce poverty. The bottom line? President and CEO Kevin Walker bravely …