Region Nine Development Commission
Report date
February 2022
What has been most instrumental to your progress?
1. We are particularly pleased to have developed short stories of individuals that exemplify the diverse people and organizations that make Region Nine a thriving and interesting place to live and work. We are grateful that so many community members were willing to contextualize our plan with stories based on their personal experiences. Through these conversations we have learned the importance of keeping community resources and capabilities relevant and addressing new social dynamism in areas where the economic and social fabrics are changed (e.g., increased racial and ethnic diversity, brain-drain from rural to urban areas, etc.) and that these require a set of integrated approaches. We are proud to be part of a process where co-constructed, holistic policies and socially innovative practices and programs are developed to provide services to traditionally underserved populations, first-generation college and university students, and others that have either been marginalized or excluded.
2. We can't claim to have a complete understanding of the challenges faced by our communities, their residents, and the intersectional ties that make everyone’s experience unique. However, we have successfully led community conversations to identify opportunities to advance equity across our region for traditionally underserved populations and communities within geographies that have been systemically and/or systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic prosperity. We have specifically assessed emerging or common responses in the communities of St. James, St. Peter, Sleepy Eye, Fairmont, and Waseca. These conversations have led to the development of a comprehensive strategic approach to community development, or a regional equity blueprint, which emphasizes greening, revitalization, economic development, and social cohesion as building blocs for future equity. This process was community-driven and included future-oriented sessions where residents collectively identified needs and wants for their towns or communities, including better and more equitable access to childcare options, more diverse food options, opportunities for local leisure etc.
3. We have showcased our work, with support from this grant, to regional, statewide, and national audiences. We led a plenary session on our equity work and the Bush grant specifically at the National Association of Development Organization's annual meeting in Portland in the fall of 2021 with our community partners from St. James (Watonwan County). The national audience learned how RNDC and the community developed partnerships built on trust, cohesion, minor disparities, and opportunities for all. Per the grant language we were able to share the importance of leading conversations about community development with room for diversity, prevention of segregation, while promoting a strong community spirit. The strengths of our work on this grant are closely tied to the mantra of leveraging diversity to secure community sustainability and resilience. We were also able to communicate that we should be neither too optimistic nor too negative about the current situation. Social change, the ongoing pandemic, and other recent developments present us with clear challenges, but much is also moving in the right direction.
Key lessons learned
We have learned that we need to align our equity work with initiatives to support education. Education is a source of strong social mobility, especially among those new to Region Nine and Minnesota. Many children and young people with an immigrant background are making an impressive social journey, and they are powerfully driven towards education. Therefore, a strong and clear investment in education, qualification and skills ne a priority through this work. This will help those marginalized to acquire the skills both they and society need and enable them to find work and contribute to value creation and economic wellbeing. Through targeted and collaborative programming, local and regional entities can ensure that children and young people with diverse backgrounds receive a high-quality education on a par with that of children in general, giving them good opportunities for work, independence and participation in society. Human knowledge and a highly skilled population are crucial for successful societal change and value creation in the future, and for the sustainability of the regional economy.
We have also learned through this work that adaptive and dynamic communities should be concerned about sustainability issues and the recognition of the relationship between the natural environment and local industry operations, to foster equitable opportunities for all residents. A sustainable economy represents a system that approaches the creation and distribution of innovative products and services that can minimize the resources of inputs, eliminates toxic substances, and produces zero waste. We have learned that in the absence of sustainable systems of production, people of color, immigrants, and those of low SES carry an excess burden based on where they live and work. As these byproducts increase costs of production, in addition to being harmful to the environment, and its people, the use of sustainable practices present opportunities to generate environmental justice, generate opportunities where all residents can live in an environment that does not negatively impact economic independence or quality of life. Accordingly, we have learned that our equity efforts can not be done without addressing greening efforts and sustainability programming.
Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving
Collaborative. This project is in many ways the continuation of a series of investments by RNDC and a multitude of partners over the past several years dedicated to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion work in Region Nine. RNDC is grateful for the support received from the Bush Foundation, other foundations, and local, regional, and statewide supporters of our work. Further, we could not have made specific recommendations without individual and community inputs regarding policies for regeneration of local communities aimed at enhancing flexible strategies that encourage creative solutions. Accordingly, we have relied on collaborative efforts from communities with a model of governance with a clear vision and operational objectives incorporating local, regional, and industry co-operation, i.e., the integration of multiple public and private stakeholders. Local champions, whether elected officials, staff members sucha as community education directors, or private individuals have allowed us to focus on regeneration strategies focused on a detailed analysis of the conditions of clearly identified challenges and interactions of its actors and institutions as they pertain to equity.
Other key elements of Community Innovation
Research and asset-mapping. We have done thorough research and invested funds (match funding) in assessing needs and opportunities through asset mapping. This will enable us to develop the ability to better respond with technical assistance and opportunities for holistic community intervention, stronger partnerships, and more targeted programming as a result of better understanding the interconnected nature of our communities. This would include being in a position to effectively assist those most vulnerable as we recover from Covid-19 - something we could not have foreseen when the grant was written in 2018. It also allows us to visualize and identify existing resources, where they are located, and by whom. Further, this research has allowed us to better understand post-incident coordination, information dissemination, responding to external inquiries, and to lead discussions regarding prioritization identified ongoing needs and possible impact. We hope that this can help us assist cities and communities anticipate and overcome some of these challenges that threaten future equity post-COVID0-19 by utilizing existing assets in a coordinated matter.
Understanding the problem
Th grant work has strengthened our belief that there is a great need in our rural communities for a shared platform for equity and inclusion learning and capacity-building through knowledge-sharing amongst local, regional and statewide stakeholders. It has taught us that we need to work with a wider audience to develop stronger communities, including industry partners (employers), and academic units and individuals to collectively learn inclusive community practices, tools for navigating a changing demographic and socioeconomic identity, and to foster inclusive efforts across the state. This work would require investments to build capacity in individuals and in communities to respond to local community needs pertaining to education gaps across racial demographics, to engage educators in community identity exploration, to develop even stronger partnerships that can provide education and resources with communities, and to share, examine, and explore inclusive and equitable best practices and ideas in and out of the region. Some of our earlier work has been too internally focused and not included larger employers and institutions of higher education.
If you could do it all over again...
We would most likely seek opportunities to develop a pathway for communities, industry, and academia to engage in equity education through a lens that incorporates statewide needs – including urban and rural areas. Most equity and inclusion educational opportunities are based out of the Twin Cities and are facilitated in the context of a larger city culture. If small rural towns in Minnesota are to make expected changes that are equitable and inclusive for all its residents, local stakeholders first need the chance to be engaged in learning at the local level and in a way that incorporates exploration of small-town, rural culture and values. Accordingly, we would have developed a project with even more focus on the lack of statewide equity education in rural communities. We see it as an emerging need to foster inclusive efforts in partnership with organizations (such as other Regional Development Organizations) across Minnesota and academic institutions and private organizations in both urban and rural areas of the state.
One last thought
We are particularly excited to conclude our work following this month's conversation with Rudy as we continue to explore the link between sustainability and equity. Sustainability is all about the ability to retain community resiliency. We have learned that the importance of economic, environmental, and social dimensions varies from time to time and according to different criteria. Various activities such as production, manufacturing of by-products, and by-products produced during product use, etc. do not impact communities and its residents equitably. Residential properties are often assessed with distance from by-products, or negative spillover effects, as a criterion for value. Environmental resilience is therefore as much a predictor of inequitable economic conditions as a determinant of quality of life. The Bush grant has therefore generated new opportunities to support community innovation, lead equity efforts regionally, and to explore new means of championing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and for that we are very grateful.