Rural Communities Meet To Collaborate

Fri, February 03, 2012

Click Image to Enlarge

KMUW / Briana O’Higgins

A conference and brainstorming session focusing on issues facing rural Kansas kicks off Friday in Newton.

The Big Rural Brainstorm, headed by Marci Penner of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, will feature 200 participants from rural communities across the state. Penner says they organized the event because rural communities face many challenges and 75 percent of the incorporated cities in Kansas have a populations of less than 1,500.

“Those are cities that are volunteer led,” says Penner. “So there is no paid city manager, no paid full-time chamber, the towns are lead by volunteers. So it is up to volunteers to decide how to handle school consolidation or losing a post office or a grocery store. How to keep these small towns viable, we need these towns, we want to help sustain them.”

Penner says the goal is not necessarily to solve over arching problems but rather to create a unique environment to find things that can be done at the local level.

She calls the format unconventional, featuring the attendees as experts, rather than panelists or keynote speakers.

The Big Rural Brainstorm takes place Feb. 3 and Feb. 4 and is currently full with a waiting list in place.

Anyone can follow or contribute to the event by using the Twitter hashtag #KSBRB12.