Re-Imagining Rural 2020 Grants Awarded
Share
Tweet
The Re-Imagining Rural gathering that occurred in September and October 2020 on a virtual platform was reported a success. As an incentive to capitalize on what they learned during these sessions, representatives from community foundations and other public entities were invited to submit grant applications for funding. Two local entities receiving grants are MSU Blaine County Extension and Fort Belknap Community Economic Development Corporation.
MSU Blaine County Extension was awarded a $2,000 grant to support inclusion in Chinook. According to MSU Extension Agent Juli Snedigar, the money will be applied to highlighting community spirit, pride, and area history through a barn dance.
“The opportunity to apply for grants was available to all communities that took part in the Re-Imagining Rural program. The maximum amount you could receive was $2,000, and that is what we were awarded. If you look at the awarded projects on the Re-Imagining Rural Facebook page, there were many great ideas,” Snedigar stated.
“The idea that kept coming up during our sessions here was an old-fashioned barn dance. Before the pandemic, we took for granted that we would always be able to get together and visit with other people in our community. During the sessions, the group that met in Chinook talked about sharing our history, while looking toward the future. We wanted a way for people new to the community to feel welcome, but we also wished to honor the history of this area. Because barn dances were once the main source of entertainment here, the idea of a barn dance surfaced as a way for folks to get together after having to stay apart during the pandemic.
“When we are able to gather, we plan to hold a series of events, either in the summer or fall (or later if necessary). We would look for ideal locations throughout the area and work to host fun, family events that everyone in Blaine County can take part in. We want to put together something for people to look forward to after the long year that 2020 has turned out to be,” Snedigar explained.
Regarding key-takeaways from the three Re-Imagining Rural (RIR) sessions, the ideas that resonated the most with the group in Chinook included a “plant your flag” concept to collect the people who have similar interests. These small groups would work from the idea that building the future of the town depends on the individual and on trying all ideas instead of voting on just one.
“Everyone loved the sessions and wanted the recordings to watch them again. No one wanted to miss anything. Now that the sessions are over, we do not want to lose momentum,” Snedigar reported. “We realize the past is where we came from, but we do not have to do everything the same as it always has been. Besides, what we build for our community today, people can enjoy in the future. Our small group all agreed that the projects we focus on will honor the past but look to the future.”
With concerns surrounding the pandemic and with everyone getting ready for the holiday season, the RIR group hasn’t had a chance to reconvene for further planning.
“We do hope to meet for lunch or coffee after Christmas,” Snedigar reported. “Because the grant turn-around time was very short, I applied for the grant through the Blaine County Extension Office. Due to a mix up from the Montana Community Foundation when they issued the checks, they mistakenly made the grant out to the Blaine County 4-H Foundation instead of Blaine County Extension, so I am working on getting that fixed.”
Another grant recipient, Fort Belknap Community Economic Development Corporation (FBCEDC) will receive $1,500 to establish a permanent farmer’s market covered area, which will also provide space for outdoor events and activities.
Members of the FBCEDC identified several key takeaways from the first RIR session. One of their Response Cards read: “The demand for leadership in our community is great, so as a group, we discussed how few people actually ‘step up’ and lead. Also, we went to the positive theme of how we need to ask young potential leaders to be involved. This can be difficult, and we need to have courage in asking!”
After Session Two, the group decided, “We love the idea-friendly model; it is very consistent with tribal culture, in that connecting openly in small steps is much more comfortable for native persons than the more ‘big business’ model. This notion gave us some confidence in keeping with our plan.”
Session Three further resonated with the FBCEDC, who reported that the ‘middle of everywhere’ concept certainly applies to Lodgepole. “A big idea for us is having the courage to invite others to our special place; we had to ask questions like: Will people want to come to Lodgepole? How do we work on recreating our narrative so that people don’t immediately think Lodgepole is in the middle of nowhere?”
Tara Mastel, a member of the RIR planning team from Red Lodge and an Associate Specialist in Leadership Development for MSU Extension, reported that a total of 24 communities participated in the RIR sessions. She encouraged those communities to keep learning from and connecting with one another.
Mastel stated that the planning group was particularly interested in learning what local organizers discovered through their focus groups. One of those key discoveries was that, despite the rhetoric, rural America is not dying.
“Although some rural communities across the state of Montana have experienced declining populations, reduced enrollment in schools, and closures of main street businesses, that data only serves to prove that rural America is changing. Much of the perceived narrative regarding the decay of rural areas is simply wrong,” Mastel reported.
Other lessons referenced the idea of not waiting for others to act but to initiate change in the community at the individual level. “Several Response Cards referred to how small things can make a big difference in the livability of communities and that community members do not have to rely on governments to make things happen. Once one good thing happens in a rural community, the domino effect often occurs with other projects following.”
As a result of the sessions—which were conducted in partnership with Montana State University (MSU) Extension, Montana Community Foundation, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and later the Burton K. Wheeler Center at MSU—several grants were awarded, with a total amount granted out at $31,670.13.
The intention of the RIR Program was to raise awareness of rural issues and to advance the conversation about a vibrant future for rural Montana. “We wanted to spread a positive message about the importance of building relationships among organizations that have a stake in the success of rural communities,” Mastel concluded.
After the local RIR group has a chance to reconvene and possibly gather a few more interested people, Snedigar will share additional information. “Once I get the check fixed, we will gather the group for a picture. With the busy holiday season, that will most likely be in January 2021. So, that will be something to look forward to first thing in the new year,” she exclaimed.
