Rural Resident Retention and Attraction Guidebook

Introduction to Rural Resident Retention and Attraction What is Resident Retention and Attraction? Resident retention and attraction (RRA) initiatives position communities to address issues associated with population size (e.g., low or declining number of residents) or population composition (e.g., aging population) — whether that be a shortage of skilled workers, low school enrolment, or a…

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Rural Innovation & Youth Attraction

Attracting youth to rural places is vital!
BC Rural Centre
BC Rural Centre
Rural Innovation & Youth Attraction
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If rural communities are to survive — let alone prosper — in the 21st century, they need to innovate. And through that innovation, attract a new wave of creative, entrepreneurial Millennials to our small towns and rural regions. This audio version of a BC Rural Centre webinar features two inspiring advocates of rural innovation —…

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Youth Exodus to Art Epicentre?

What kind of future should a struggling rural town choose? In the town of Green River, Utah, population 950, a nonprofit called Epicenter aims to use art and architecture to bring youthful new energy, life, and economic development to the community, as Jeffrey Brown reports in this PBS video.  

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Youth Attraction: Rural Challenges, Successes

Youth attraction strategies are necessary

    Introduction We have become a culture of nomads. “Where do you come from?” is a question we now routinely ask one another because we rarely expect the answer to be “here.” Discovering where someone comes from tells us about who they are and what their story is — but we never ask, “When…

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Small Town Canada Strives to Survive

Small towns strive to survive

Here’s an informative report by CBC on how rural Canadians are striving to cope with change in the 21st century.  TRANSFORMATION How Canada’s small towns are trying to survive and thrive in changing times All summer CBC News will showcase communities adapting to demographic and other changes Chris Iorfida · CBC News · Posted: Jul 09, 2018 4:00 AM…

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Young City Couple “Escape the City”!

Young rural couple "escape the city"!

Rochelle and Jean-Michel Longval are typical young urbanites. Or are they? Both are professionals. They have no children, an extremely cute dog named Geo, and a nice home in a leafy Calgary neighbourhood. Life for the Longvals would seem to be idyllic. There’s only one catch: they long to escape the city! With some help…

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Escape the City Contest — Win a Weekend in Alpine Nirvana!

Escape the City to Kaslo

Tired of the urban rat race? Wish you could afford your own home? Want to walk to work? Wish you had access to world class skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, and climbing? Like the idea of being able to walk to do all your shopping? Kinda dig the idea of living in an alpine village…

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Contest aims to lure city folk to small-town B.C.

Escape the City to Kaslo

  Contest aims to lure city folk…  The BC Rural Centre’s Escape the City contest is beginning to create some significant media buzz, witness this CBC blogpost with nearly 1,000 shares & over 40 comments in 24 hours.  It’s a fun contest with a serious purpose — to remind young urbanites there’s an option to the…

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Escape the City!

CBC

  Escape the City — that’s a concept that’s likely to become increasingly common as our major centres become increasing crowded — and expensive. Life in a major urban area isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. Sky-high housing costs, seemingly endless traffic woes, crime, pollution, noise, and stress — lots of stress —…

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BC Rural Dividend grants over $10 million

BC Rural Dividend grants

On Friday, October 13, the BC Government announced over $10 million in new grants to rural communities through the BC Rural Dividend. Here’s the official press release:   The B.C. government is distributing $10.1 million in new grants to help rural communities stabilize their economies and create long-term local employment, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural…

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