Rural Communities Leading

What We're Learning

On November 30, 2009 the Rural Communities Leading initiative hosted a colloquium at the Coady International Institute. The small gathering included people from around the province who are engaged in innovative thinking and action in the area of community development and leadership. The purpose of the gathering was to widen our circle of learning, to collectively reflect on leadership and community in Nova Scotia, to share the story of the project and the two pilots, and to explore possible opportunities as the initiative moves forward. Below are themes that emerged from the day.

What We're Learning

• Governments and institutions can support community and build leadership capacity in ways that allow communities to take the lead.
• Supporting approaches that move away from industrial-age thinking (building a model and then scaling up) towards a living systems paradigm (creating the conditions for self-organizing and self-sustaining development) is one way in which to do this.
• Communities have all the ingredients they need.
• Trust and connections are the starting point for community transformation.
• Connection to "place" is a foundation. As the communities with the longest and deepest connection to place, the First Nations can remind us of this.
• Leadership cannot be separated from a community's aspirations for its own future.
• Cross-cultural dialogues and gatherings reveal both our differences and our common interests.
• Creativity, culture and the arts allow people to uncover innovative possibilities as well as to go deeper into their conversations around what matters.
• The importance of seeking and uncovering hidden leadership potential. Tap into the "invisible" leadership of youth, elders and people who don't think of themselves as leaders.