MCCR:  HOW IT ALL BEGAN
 

Background of Development Efforts-1995-98


In 1995 Howard School District, through the Program for Rural School and Community Renewal at South Dakota State University, began receiving funding from the Annenberg Rural Challenge (totaling $150,000 over four years) for projects to connect rural schools with their communities. Behind this approach was the understanding that youth are more open to change and seniors listen to youth-driven ideas. The Howard Rural Challenge has involved teachers, students, and community residents. Its vision has been the development of a sustainable community, with two main goals:

 

  • To meet the basic needs of the people who live here (food, water, shelter, clothing, jobs). The community is only as well off as its most destitute citizen.
  • To grow and develop within its ecological limits. The people of the community must inhabit it in ways that sustain it for future generations.

 

The program hired a rural resource director and created a Rural Resource Center in the school to encourage community members to come into the school to visit and interact with the students. Students, staff, and community members worked together on special themes throughout the years, learning more about the place they live.

Through its community cash flow study, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) students investigated where residents spent their money and their views of local businesses. Through making residents more aware of the need to spend locally, and businesses more aware of community needs, gross sales in Howard increased 41.1 percent. Sales remained fairly steady over the next three years. The study received much local and national publicity. Other Rural Challenge projects have included widely used adult computer training classes taught by students; obtaining a USDA grant for a state-of-the-art greenhouse and community garden; a schoolwide study of cancer clusters in the county; several community celebrations (attended by over 1,000 people), and more.

Rural Challenge community vision meetings in fall 1997 brought together people from around the county to discuss concerns and issues in the county. Students and adults worked together setting up the agenda and presentations. Three large meetings of about 150 people were held, interspersed by two small meetings consisting of 15-17 people meeting at 12-14 homes. The small groups included a mix of youth, elderly, farmers, business people, clergy, teachers, low- and high-income residents. Participants discussed Miner County's weaknesses and strengths and got to know each other.

A Miner County Task Force, made up of 22 members from different parts of the county and including youth and elderly, evolved from the community visioning meetings to work on improving Miner County strengths and decreasing its weaknesses. They identified economic development and county beautification as top priorities for their efforts.

 

Northwest Area Foundation's Exploration of a Long-Term Partnership

Starting from 600 agriculture-dependent communities, in January 1999 Northwest Area Foundation selected Miner County from 197 communities that had a population between 1,000 and 5,000, were not on an Indian reservation or within a metro area, and were located in a county whose population had declined between 1950 and 1996. The foundation decided to explore a partnership with Miner County rather than other potential sites because:

 

  • The county showed community cohesion and the ability to work together.
  • Members of the community showed an understanding that economic, social, and environmental issues are interconnected and must be addressed together.
  • The timing seemed right-Miner County had already worked with at least one outside organization on community development and showed motivation to build on that work.
  • Given the trends, success seemed difficult without further access to outside resources.

 

The Foundation's Miner County Team started its exploration in March of 1999 with certain assumptions about community development:

 

  • That communities create lasting change through an inclusive, community-driven approach, built on trust.
  • That communities must have the internal capacity to address issues strategically and new issues as they emerge.
  • That unless the members direct and do the work themselves, our involvement will merely be fostering dependency.
  • There must be a catalyst within the community for change to occur.

 

During the early stages of this "exploration" phase, Miner County lacked both public and private institutions to lead the community's recognition and reversal of the dynamics of decline. The Foundation's start-up support for Miner County Community Revitalization (MCCR), a nonprofit that evolved from an existing countywide task force, we believe was critical as a catalyst for change.

MCCR has been highly active in increasing collaboration and involvement, building leadership, and facilitating new business ventures and social services. It has grown from a group of about 20 people to over 100 members. Today, the general public is discussing the future of Miner County and seems to have taken ownership of the direction in which they wish the county to go.

MCCR has also been researching conditions and trends and potential partners and gathering information and ideas from outside experts and resources. It has identified and has committees working on six issues considered critical: economic development; agriculture and conservation; housing; education and youth; elderly; and healthcare. An outreach committee was added to encourage additional involvement in revitalization, especially among those most disadvantaged and least heard.

The community has coalesced around a common desire to effect change. In December of 1999, MCCR's membership approved a general plan for their future direction based on many people's input. The plan showed impressive community activity and commitment but to the foundation lacked an integrated, strategic approach to attaining their vision of a stable, nurturing community.

The Northwest Area Foundation's board approved the Community Plan in October 2000 and the agreement as a 10-year Community Venture partner was signed in February of 2001.

 

Reflections

An inclusive, community-directed approach takes time but is proving to be worthwhile. The community has high ownership of the process and is learning how to do things themselves and gaining confidence in their efforts. We see fear of change decreasing and hope for the future increasing dramatically.

A challenge exists between planning, building community understanding and involvement, and initiating successful projects. All three are crucial to success, however. Tangible projects are important for building community support and motivation. A number of new business and housing developments and community service projects have created much excitement and opened many eyes to the possibility of change in the county.

MCCR chose to build from the base and has focused on building community understanding and involvement. Given the lack of understanding and the need to build trust through personal interactions, this seems the right emphasis. Rural development literature bears out the strength of this approach.

Supporting the community's development of a more focused, strategic approach that looks down the road and creates a sound decision-making process that connects activities to the community's vision, obstacles, assets, and broad strategies does seem beneficial, however, to the community's ability to institutionalize learning and achieve long-term sustainability.

 

MCCR's Transformation to the Rural Learning Center

Miner County, South Dakota is in the midst of remarkable change. This change, led by the community, Miner County Community Revitalization, Inc. (MCCR) and with support of the Northwest Area Foundation, has focused on creating a better future for those living in Miner County by creating living wage jobs and inspiring grassroots involvement.


Today, the changes are extraordinary. Jobs are plentiful, people are returning home, and community investment has increased tremendously. Not surprisingly, rural communities from around the nation are looking to Miner County for expertise.


As a response, and with passion to share what we’ve learned with as many rural people and communities as possible, MCCR has become the Rural Learning Center.   Learn more about the Center's Miner County roots or see how those roots have given us remarkable results.