Reimagine Arkansas Conversations w/ members of the Rural Community Alliance
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Cities/Towns
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Voices
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Conversations
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Arkansas is a very rural state, with 41% of residents living in rural counties. Yet, the story of rural life rarely represents the hopes and aspirations of those who live it. Far from the dominant narrative of loss and decline, the voices we convened in conversations with Arkansas’ Rural Community Alliance (RCA) members see a rural future that is just and thriving.
From small business incubation ☊ to adequate and affordable housing ☊ for every family, rural leaders across Arkansas imagine places where community breakfasts ☊, volunteer grandparent ☊ programs, and community pools ☊ open to everyone are just as commonplace as food trucks ☊, start-ups ☊, and cross-county tourism ventures ☊.
Listen to more from Mayor Barnett
The next chapter for rural Arkansas is one where education ☊ and jobs, not prisons ☊, are the solutions to poverty and homelessness. It is also where empty schools ☊ and vacant buildings ☊ serve the community’s needs, providing low-rent ☊ sites for new businesses and opportunities for tutoring ☊, ACT camps ☊, job training ☊ and recreation.
The next chapter for rural Arkansas is one where education ☊ and jobs, not prisons ☊, are the solutions to poverty and homelessness. It is also where empty schools ☊ and vacant buildings ☊ serve the community’s needs, providing low-rent ☊ sites for new businesses and opportunities for tutoring ☊, ACT camps ☊, job training ☊ and recreation.
For the young people in rural communities, the future ☊ is now. While the social and economic costs of the school consolidation ☊ movement are deeply felt, there is an abundance of knowledge ☊, connections ☊, partnerships ☊, leadership ☊, and hope ☊ among this network of 46 chapters to repair the damage and build back.
The call is more than simply to preserve ☊ the past. It is about reimagining what is possible to meet the needs of multiple generations of rural Arkansans. Their story is our story ☊, and their solutions might just be the solutions we all need to succeed in the future.
Join the conversation by clicking below and texting “Rural Futures” to 479.309.8277
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Big Idea/Concept
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Core Team
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Potential Partners
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Funding/Revenue Sources
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Other Resources/Assets
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Target Audience/Customers
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Success Metrics
Physical Location
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Big Idea/Concept
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Core Team
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Potential Partners
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Funding/Revenue Sources
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Other Resources/Assets
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Target Audience/Customers
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Success Metrics
Physical Location
