2021 Rural Fellows—Valentine

Connor Clanton & Victor Mpore Author

08/13/2021 Added

63 Plays

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Student and Community Fellows talk about the community development projects they worked on in Valentine, Nebraska during Summer 2021.

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[00:00:00.310]Hi, we're Connor and Victor.
[00:00:02.720]This summer, we've been working in Valentine
[00:00:04.940]as rural fellows.
[00:00:06.600]We lived with Mike and Kim,
[00:00:08.330]and here we are on what we call a Midwestern safari,
[00:00:11.690]trying to track down some buffaloes.
[00:00:14.400]Juice, our favorite roommate,
[00:00:16.230]was unfortunately not able to make the safari.
[00:00:19.340]This summer has been an endless supply of new experiences.
[00:00:23.070]We've experimented with delicious food,
[00:00:25.520]tubed down the Niobrara,
[00:00:27.310]shot at some local cowboy fast draw tournaments,
[00:00:30.810]gotten wet under very many waterfalls,
[00:00:33.460]played golf at Frederick Peak Golf Club,
[00:00:36.210]and so many other new experiences
[00:00:38.340]that can't really be summed up
[00:00:39.730]in a two to five minute video.
[00:00:41.830]We also worked on projects that we hope
[00:00:44.720]will have a lasting impact on both us
[00:00:46.870]and the community of Valentine.
[00:00:48.815]Alright, so what have Connor and Victor
[00:00:50.780]accomplished this year,
[00:00:52.730]this summer in the internship and fellow program?
[00:00:56.160]They've done a lot of research.
[00:00:57.550]They've dug into a couple of topics that have been very
[00:01:02.960]problematic for our area
[00:01:04.960]and the healthcare workforce and the daycare issue.
[00:01:09.620]They both made some progress in that
[00:01:12.340]where we can continue moving forward.
[00:01:14.620]Even after they're done, they've got the groundwork laid
[00:01:17.020]where we kind of know where we're at
[00:01:18.670]and what we need to do from here on out.
[00:01:20.250]So they've left us with some workable templates
[00:01:22.380]to move forward on a daycare issue
[00:01:25.100]and also with healthcare workforce.
[00:01:27.540]Also with a couple of fun projects, the scavenger hunt,
[00:01:30.550]I think people are gonna have fun with that.
[00:01:32.100]The photo contest, people will be excited
[00:01:34.530]about competing in that.
[00:01:36.280]And then the internship program for businesses
[00:01:39.320]is something we've been thinking about for quite some time
[00:01:42.430]and this gives us an opportunity
[00:01:43.870]to get a lot of the groundwork laid
[00:01:46.380]that I didn't have time to do,
[00:01:47.580]so it's gonna be put to good use here in the next,
[00:01:50.620]probably the next year.
[00:01:52.170]The reason I think our work that we're doing
[00:01:54.080]here in Valentine is so important is that
[00:01:56.840]in the end, we want to improve the overall quality of life
[00:01:59.360]of the people and residents in Valentine and Cherry County.
[00:02:02.090]Also promote the region and tourism, business, and health.
[00:02:06.310]I think that the work we're doing is really important
[00:02:08.870]specifically because it's allowing people
[00:02:10.950]of different backgrounds to work together.
[00:02:13.460]And in a world that's rapidly evolving
[00:02:15.740]towards globalization, none of us are gonna work
[00:02:18.770]with people who are similar to us all the time.
[00:02:20.960]Coming to Valentine, I found it so cool
[00:02:23.200]that inclusive leadership in a rural community
[00:02:25.220]is based on relationships. The time, energy, knowledge,
[00:02:28.340]and information that they share with you
[00:02:29.930]during your relationships can last anywhere from an hour
[00:02:32.910]to two hours in length. Just having that experience
[00:02:35.840]of being able to grow relationships on a format
[00:02:38.610]where there is really no time constraints
[00:02:40.830]is something I haven't really experienced before,
[00:02:42.590]growing up in a city like Lincoln.
[00:02:44.510]Moving to a place like Valentine has really opened my eyes
[00:02:47.070]to what it means to build a relationship
[00:02:48.990]and build community partners.
[00:02:51.150]Our team leader, Mike, also agreed
[00:02:53.340]that inclusive leadership
[00:02:54.510]was very important to our experience.
[00:02:57.110]Alright, so what have I learned from this experience
[00:02:59.960]with the rural fellows?
[00:03:02.370]What impact does it have on me as a community leader?
[00:03:05.850]I've learned that we need to identify the strengths
[00:03:08.860]of individuals within our community
[00:03:11.750]and utilize those for the betterment of the community.
[00:03:14.660]Some people have different strengths.
[00:03:16.200]We need to identify that, let them run with that,
[00:03:19.060]keep it in the end goal and focus.
[00:03:21.720]But for the most part, let them go ahead
[00:03:23.700]and move with that. Connor's very competitive,
[00:03:26.450]jumps right in, tackles a project in there.
[00:03:29.360]Victor is very analytical, very research minded.
[00:03:33.030]They've both been instrumental in gathering data
[00:03:35.900]and information that we need to move forward.
[00:03:38.770]So we know that it's gonna be reliable data.
[00:03:40.940]They put a lot of effort into it.
[00:03:42.940]And so I think learning from them and their strengths
[00:03:45.540]and letting them do their thing
[00:03:47.270]is gonna benefit our community for the next several years.
[00:03:51.370]And that is our summer as rural fellows
[00:03:53.360]in Valentine, Nebraska. We'll probably be coming back soon,
[00:03:58.000]but for now, we just want to say,
[00:04:00.030]thank you, Valentine.

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2021 Rural Fellows—Valentine

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