Stories have connecting power. They give us a behind-the-scenes look into people’s lives. They invite us to relate to people on a human level and have the potential to inspire action. That might be why video is expected to be the dominant form of online content by 2017. In today’s Daily Yonder, TechSoup blogger Jim …
Sometimes innovation springs from the strangest places – like a palace housing over 275,000 ears of intricately designed corn. Mitchell, South Dakota is home to the nation’s only Corn Palace and as Northern Minnesota author Aaron Brown says in his recent Daily Yonder article, While some might only know Mitchell as a tourist trap on …
Watergate. 9/11. JFK assassination. WWI. WWII. Y2K. What major events shaped the way you view the world? Chances are it depends when you were born. Similarly, the way you communicate was probably influenced by the technological advances that occurred as you were growing up. These influences, along with parenting trends, media, education, location, and general philosophy, shape …
Colorful, dancing feathered figures and the hum of ancestral melodies filled the room as Fond du Lac (FDL) students arranged themselves in such a way that they created a cornucopia of technology. Brandishing iPads, they celebrated their Ojibwe culture, together with community members, through the creation of mobile applications. Held at the end of July, …
What does poverty look like to you? For many, it looks like a crumpled-clothed, weathered-looking man holding flimsy cardboard sign with chicken-scratch writing. BUSTED MYTH #1: Not all poverty looks like this! In fact, poverty might look like your next door neighbor, the woman you say hi to in the grocery store or the child with …
If you threw a dart at a map of the United States, it might get stuck in a canyon in the Southwest, perch on the peak of a prodigious mountain in the Northwest or skim swaying wheat fields of the Midwest. Regardless of where you land, it’s likely to be in rural territory. An astounding 72 …
Problems do not exist in isolation. They are entwined in complex ecosystems. Changemakers must be mindful of the ecosystem, and whenever possible, put the ecosystem to work for them. Herein lies the roots of effective philanthropy. Bush Foundation President Jen Ford Reedy hit these key points in her recent TEDx talk on ecosystem philanthropy. Her …
This year, we’ve written quite a bit on the misconceptions surrounding brain drain – the outmigration of young people after high school graduation – in rural communities. Outposts guest blogger Aaron Brown recently discussed brain gain and the promise it holds for the future of healthy rural communities. He started by saying “Our future rests …
In the Midwest, 41-45 percent of people move throughout their lifetime – but it’s not just people that migrate. So does money. In fact, we know that in the next twenty years, $47.9 billion will transfer from one generation to the next in Minnesota. This could mean big things for small, rural communities. But if …
Are your volunteer meetings loosing their zest? Have strategic planning sessions got you in a funk? Mix it up! Art of Hosting is a training for all those who aspire to learn how to work with groups in more interactive, engaging and effective ways. Meadowlark Institute is offering a September training, at no cost, to community members …