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Reaching “at risk” kids for local jobs

By Becky McCray

Workforce is a challenge for 2/3rds of rural small businesses. Source: Survey of Rural Challenges, 2021 One under-utilized source of workers: At-risk students Tony Guidroz, from San Saba, Texas, told me he was shocked when he found out there were 702 kids in the local school district, and more than 400 were considered “at-risk” either […]

July 15, 2022 Filed Under: economic development, rural, workforce, youth Tagged With: at-risk students, blue collar jobs, career fair, workforce, youth

How Parents are Keeping Children from Becoming the Next Generation of Leaders

By Paula Jensen

A girl smiles while eating a meal at Eagle Butte, South Dakota.

  By Paula Jensen It seems I have almost always been interested in leadership.  My parents modeled leadership as I was growing up through their active roles in community, church, and school.  I joined 4-H at the age of eight, was called a “ring-leader” as an elementary student (which I don’t think this was a […]

December 28, 2019 Filed Under: community, failure, rural, youth Tagged With: guest post, kids, leadership, Paula Jensen, rural, youth

Chain link is everywhere in downtowns. Here’s how to dress it up.

By Becky McCray

Chain link fence made into a mural of a stream

  You’ve seen it before: a chain link fence right in the middle of a downtown. Usually there’s barbed wire at the top. Let’s face it, barbed wire is not the friendliest look for a downtown. We can do better. Why chain link in the first place? When a business ends up with an empty lot […]

June 30, 2019 Filed Under: community, rural, youth Tagged With: aesthetics, art, beautification, business district, chain link, clean up, downtown, high street, murals, youth

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