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Timothy Collins, IIRA Assistant Director
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IIRA's Rural Recovery Conference Presentation Materials Now Available

April 26, 2011

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Rural Illinois Perspectives

by Timothy Collins, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs Assistant Director

MACOMB, IL -- Last month, the "Rural Illinois in the Recovery" conference was held in Peoria (IL), offering more than 300 development professionals and local practitioners an opportunity to share and discuss innovative strategies designed to meet the challenges currently facing rural areas.

Presentation materials from the 22nd Annual Rural Community Economic Development Conference, sponsored by the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA), are now available on the IIRA website (www.iira.org). The presentations cover a wide array of topics, including issues facing rural America and Illinois, using social media, youth enterprise and creating new opportunities in a difficult economy.

IIRA Director Christopher Merrett and Jerry Townsend of Illinois Rural Partners were among the presenters, highlighting findings from the recent Illinois Rural Life Poll, along with broader rural economic trends. Rural Illinois has benefitted recently from higher commodity prices that have helped to decrease the impact of the national recession. Even so, respondents from rural Illinois were reportedly less optimistic and voiced concerns regarding a number of issues, including Internet access, local government, transit resources, educational funding, providing opportunities for skilled workers and retaining the youth population in the community.

Paul Schuytema (Monmouth, IL) discussed using social networking media to enhance local development. In addition to providing an overview of various social media formats, Schuytema also discussed the need to understand who is using new media and how to develop and deliver a message for a business or community.

David Procter of Kansas State University discussed the Bulldog Express, a 2009 initiative developed by students in Leeton, MO (population 619), to respond to community needs, including the issue of lack of public transportation, a low-income base and a large senior-citizen population. The operation has helped with community development, has become a model for school-based enterprises and has also helped students in learning about improved nutrition and work force skills.

Keynote speaker Mark Peterson of the University of Arkansas held a workshop to outline the "Breakthrough Solutions" program, which is designed to help communities understand the nature of the changes they are experiencing. Peterson explained how communities have engaged in creative thinking to maximize their assets, discover breakthroughs and use them to improve their quality of life. Based on a number of case studies, his examples provided reproducible tools.

The annual community economic development conference is sponsored by IIRA in conjunction with the Governor's Rural Affairs Council and Rural Partners. Other sponsors include Ameren Illinois Utilities; Jacob and Klein Law, Ltd.; the Economic Development Group, Ltd.; USDA-Rural Development; MAPPING the Future of Your Community; Illinois Small Business Development Center at Western Illinois University; and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Western Illinois University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity institution. For more information about the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs visit www.iira.org. If you care to comment about this column, please contact Timothy Collins toll free at (800) 526-9943 or via email at T-Collins@wiu.edu.

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