Rural Fellows Final Presentation 2022

Russell Shaffer Author

08/05/2022 Added

8 Plays

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Highlight real of the 25 Rural Fellows who served in 16 Nebraska communities for the 2022 summer, the projects they worked on, and the impact they had.

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[00:00:00.619](bright music)
[00:00:29.573]We began our summer by creating floor plans
[00:00:31.650]of the Alliance Recreation Center,
[00:00:33.240]which is very important,
[00:00:34.350]'cause they did not previously have any plans
[00:00:36.210]of the existing building.
[00:00:37.620]Another thing we've been doing in Alliance
[00:00:39.360]is mapping out recreation.
[00:00:40.770]First project that I did for the ARC
[00:00:43.620]was the preparedness activity
[00:00:46.590]where I have a focus on family pet preparedness,
[00:00:50.520]as this is being done for a summer camp
[00:00:52.740]with kindergarten through fifth graders.
[00:00:55.260]There's a lot of things that I personally
[00:00:57.150]have been able to learn and grow from.
[00:01:00.330]One of the most important
[00:01:01.860]would just be public health is a massive coalition
[00:01:06.930]of just all sorts of groups that need to work together,
[00:01:10.260]and, out here, that kind of is just how it happens.
[00:01:13.650]Not only did we gain experience
[00:01:15.270]related to our majors,
[00:01:16.890]we gained experience in how to handle life.
[00:01:19.230]Being surrounded by so many strong and passionate leaders
[00:01:21.720]showed me that it truly takes a village to make waves.
[00:01:24.390]I definitely grew not only as a team leader,
[00:01:26.580]but also as a team member,
[00:01:28.140]because I was involved in this process.
[00:01:30.970](cheerful music)
[00:01:34.800]It was an amazing experience
[00:01:37.020]working with community cooperatives
[00:01:39.330]and shadowed my supervisor
[00:01:41.250]who provided great guidance and support.
[00:01:44.790]We've seen the...
[00:01:45.623]I visit those community cooperatives in Hay Springs,
[00:01:49.363]Separaton, and Elwood.
[00:01:52.320]Also, I enjoy volunteering with Buy Fresh by Rocot
[00:01:56.280]during the east compass discovery days and farmers market
[00:01:59.910]with Marc Rade.
[00:02:01.440]Was an amazing opportunity
[00:02:03.750]where we are doing a taste test
[00:02:05.940]for the green garden humus
[00:02:08.160]produced by Mikey.
[00:02:10.980]Throughout this experience,
[00:02:12.480]I have developed communication, listening,
[00:02:15.630]and interpersonal skills.
[00:02:18.240]These are the skills that will enhance my next steps
[00:02:21.480]into graduate school
[00:02:23.100]and my future career as well,
[00:02:25.230]where I'll connecting with people and definitely writing.
[00:02:34.140]We've worked on many different projects
[00:02:36.450]and have accomplished much
[00:02:37.980]regarding different tourism aspects
[00:02:40.230]of the industry out here,
[00:02:42.150]along with working on mental health, brochures,
[00:02:44.790]and resources.
[00:02:45.990]We've worked hard on those types of projects,
[00:02:47.910]but we've also had a lot of fun
[00:02:49.950]getting to experience Western Nebraska.
[00:02:52.740]And, I've learned so much this summer,
[00:02:55.140]not only professionally,
[00:02:56.940]but also personally
[00:02:58.140]on what it looks like to be an inclusive leader,
[00:03:01.410]whether that means I'm sharing
[00:03:03.420]about my cultural experiences back home in Eastern Nebraska,
[00:03:07.290]or learning about the cultural experiences
[00:03:09.390]that my teammates have from living in Western Nebraska,
[00:03:12.390]or Rwanda, or wherever we come from.
[00:03:16.080]This summer as rural filler intern,
[00:03:18.480]I created technologies
[00:03:20.160]that provide improved self guided services,
[00:03:23.550]the tourists, as they can,
[00:03:25.050]to explore Shadrin.
[00:03:26.700]This includes digital walking tours and market trails.
[00:03:31.530]Also, as an inclusive leader,
[00:03:33.210]living in the community
[00:03:34.440]provided me with better perspectives, and inclusion,
[00:03:38.850]and diversity.
[00:03:39.683]But, most importantly,
[00:03:41.670]it gave me an ability to understand
[00:03:45.690]what makes individuals unique
[00:03:47.640]and ensuring that they feel connected to the team.
[00:03:55.470]Working on this project helps me use a lot of the skills
[00:03:58.260]that I've been learning at UNMC.
[00:03:59.970]Identifying and addressing barriers
[00:04:02.160]to healthcare and health disparities
[00:04:03.630]is a big part of what I've been learning how to do.
[00:04:06.090]And, I'm glad to finally be able
[00:04:07.350]to put those skills into some hands on use.
[00:04:09.330]I think one of the coolest things
[00:04:10.410]about this entire experience has been building community,
[00:04:13.260]and learning what that looks like,
[00:04:14.940]and learning that it's not just whether
[00:04:17.580]that's in your hometown or your college town,
[00:04:19.800]it's about being surrounded by people
[00:04:21.750]who are continuously trying to uplift and empower you.
[00:04:24.930]Here is something that I'll be able to take back with me
[00:04:26.850]is truly learning how to work with all kinds of people
[00:04:29.670]and implementing that as I become an inclusive leader
[00:04:33.240]in my future career.
[00:04:39.090]The project that I worked on
[00:04:40.740]was the Arnold Discovery Days in farmer's market.
[00:04:44.730]This is a farm family friendly event
[00:04:47.790]that the University of Nebraska on east campus
[00:04:50.910]prepares every year
[00:04:52.710]to introduce the community to each various activities.
[00:04:57.000]My responsibilities in this project
[00:04:59.610]included the preparation of communication content,
[00:05:03.330]such as the math renewal letter
[00:05:05.460]to introduce different activities
[00:05:07.710]and vendors to the communities.
[00:05:10.140]I had to create different social media content.
[00:05:13.140]And, I also had to take pictures, videos,
[00:05:16.380]and testimonies during the event.
[00:05:19.290]This experience helped me to acquire different knowledge
[00:05:22.620]and skills
[00:05:23.453]that I think would be useful in my future.
[00:05:27.240]I have also been able to learn different workplace behavior
[00:05:31.080]such as teamwork, leadership, and professionalism.
[00:05:39.338]And, we were working on different economic projects
[00:05:42.930]that aimed at developing rural communities
[00:05:45.900]in Kimball county,
[00:05:47.040]including Dicks, Bushna, and Kimball community.
[00:05:53.040]Some of the projects we worked on
[00:05:55.290]include gathering demographic information
[00:05:57.870]for Sydney creative district.
[00:05:59.940]And, this is in Sheeyen county,
[00:06:02.040]which is different from Kimball,
[00:06:04.080]and also the nutrition review
[00:06:06.210]for youth advisory committee in Kimball.
[00:06:09.390]And, there was just compiling best practices, procedures,
[00:06:12.930]and guidelines to help youth in Kimball
[00:06:15.420]come together and impact their community.
[00:06:18.150]Through this experiential learning,
[00:06:20.520]I got an opportunity to grow, both,
[00:06:22.710]personally and professionally,
[00:06:24.870]and I'm very grateful for being part
[00:06:26.880]of this rural fellows program,
[00:06:29.700]because I grew into an inclusive leader
[00:06:32.520]and I'm ready to go out in the world
[00:06:34.650]and exercise this effective leadership style
[00:06:37.890]wherever I will go.
[00:06:43.710]And, I have had a chance to work on different projects
[00:06:46.770]that include creating a database
[00:06:49.470]for existing community leadership programs
[00:06:52.500]across the country.
[00:06:54.600]I also worked on literature reviews on leadership transition
[00:06:58.890]and the purpose for that was to help new community leaders
[00:07:03.090]settle into their new roles
[00:07:05.280]and to also help the older community leaders
[00:07:08.670]help mentor and support younger community members
[00:07:13.920]for future positions like those.
[00:07:16.196]What I've learned is to manage my time,
[00:07:19.080]and to be more accountable,
[00:07:21.243]and to manage and plan for my projects
[00:07:24.300]in a way that is more responsible.
[00:07:30.898]In working with the city of Lincoln
[00:07:32.940]and specifically the nonprofit Norfork area transit
[00:07:38.970]to get a better idea of the environmental effects
[00:07:44.130]that their bus system has on the community at large.
[00:07:46.590]And, this is both in terms of internally,
[00:07:49.320]what their buses are doing,
[00:07:51.357]and the environmental impact of their buses specifically,
[00:07:53.490]but also how much energy and gas is being saved
[00:07:58.590]for people using the bus
[00:07:59.850]instead of taking a personal vehicle.
[00:08:03.570]And, so we are doing the calculations for that,
[00:08:06.360]this semester,
[00:08:07.193]and that will compound every year
[00:08:09.900]as the bus system grows,
[00:08:11.190]because it's a very new bus system.
[00:08:13.050]I think really,
[00:08:14.790]one thing that I've learned this summer
[00:08:16.620]that I'm taking away,
[00:08:17.640]is that a lot of work especially that's set in government,
[00:08:22.860]it does take time.
[00:08:23.760]It does take patience
[00:08:25.560]just because everybody is running around
[00:08:28.140]and doing a million different things
[00:08:30.600]and they're busy.
[00:08:31.433]And, so, sometimes, you can't get everything
[00:08:34.650]as fast as you would hope to,
[00:08:36.600]and you just have to be patient
[00:08:37.590]and plan for that to have time,
[00:08:40.080]just to make sure that you have the buffer that you need.
[00:08:46.914](woman speaking on echoing mic)
[00:10:02.940]Specifically, our project focused on community resiliency,
[00:10:07.740]and the main goal of our project
[00:10:09.810]was to gather as much information
[00:10:12.060]about the issue of attraction and retention
[00:10:14.520]of residents in rural Nebraska communities
[00:10:17.340]as we can.
[00:10:18.990]I conducted a literature review around the issue
[00:10:24.540]as a way of compiling secondary information
[00:10:28.050]to kind of have a generalized bigger picture
[00:10:30.990]of which factors affect attraction
[00:10:33.660]and retention of residents.
[00:10:35.310]I look forward to applying the skills that I acquired
[00:10:39.180]from this whole experience
[00:10:42.060]to develop myself in my career
[00:10:46.180]and to develop myself as a leader.
[00:10:48.990]And, I look forward to passing the skills that I learned
[00:10:52.860]to the rest of the community
[00:10:56.160]and the rest of the people that I would be working with.
[00:11:03.780]So, we worked on issues affecting rural housings.
[00:11:08.040]We did our literature review looking
[00:11:10.290]into what other researchers have worked on
[00:11:13.650]when it comes to rural housings.
[00:11:16.080]We looked into the terms like rural...
[00:11:19.710]Rural sustainability, workforce, immigration,
[00:11:22.530]and how those all those factors are affecting rural housing
[00:11:26.400]in general.
[00:11:27.233]We also touched on modular housing
[00:11:29.640]and looking into how that can be applied
[00:11:32.370]into rural communities,
[00:11:33.507]and how affordable,
[00:11:35.100]and applicable that type of housing is.
[00:11:39.150]I believe that this experience
[00:11:40.920]will be influential mostly in the future.
[00:11:43.320]When I get to enter, when I get to enter the workforce,
[00:11:47.640]and actually know,
[00:11:49.170]I now know what to expect
[00:11:51.540]in terms of providing results and also being a team player.
[00:11:56.670]Thank you.
[00:12:01.350]Then we kicked off our projects
[00:12:02.730]and started off by going to Scotts Bluff national monument,
[00:12:05.850]where we did surveys for three weeks
[00:12:07.710]to the visitors that came to the county
[00:12:10.980]and came to the monument.
[00:12:12.540]Through this,
[00:12:13.373]we found what the tourism committee was looking for
[00:12:17.280]by seeing what their target market was,
[00:12:19.920]so they could plan for marketing in the future.
[00:12:22.230]Most people never really realize
[00:12:24.060]how much rural communities influence
[00:12:25.830]most our daily lives here in the US.
[00:12:28.350]And, I'm counting the industry of tourism,
[00:12:31.710]because the rural communities,
[00:12:33.720]they need income coming in.
[00:12:36.330]And, what better way than using the tourism industry.
[00:12:40.650]Here, in Scotts Bluff,
[00:12:42.810]our project was supposed to be surveying
[00:12:45.840]for better target marketing,
[00:12:48.240]and also being able to make up
[00:12:51.390]whether people still pick up print material
[00:12:54.330]and know the age range.
[00:13:01.170]Going into the Rural Fellows Program,
[00:13:03.780]I mean, they tell you what to expect,
[00:13:06.090]but you never really know what kind of experience
[00:13:09.450]you're gonna have,
[00:13:10.283]and it is 100% the program leaders
[00:13:13.830]and your community leaders
[00:13:15.660]that just really make the experience what it is.
[00:13:19.200]Expedite the process
[00:13:20.430]of getting to know your community leaders
[00:13:22.590]and your team members,
[00:13:24.030]so that you can really just get into the nitty gritty
[00:13:26.190]and hit the ground running.
[00:13:27.570]And, really, in a short period of time,
[00:13:30.270]just make a whole world of difference
[00:13:33.960]for small communities in rural in Nebraska.
[00:13:40.680]Some, I had the great opportunity talk
[00:13:42.870]with related economy development.
[00:13:45.101]I was concentrating more on the efficient trails and plans.
[00:13:48.120]During my time here,
[00:13:48.953]I spent most of the time exploring
[00:13:51.090]and doing more research
[00:13:51.990]about the time to figure out what could be permitted,
[00:13:56.370]making the efficient choice and practice here.
[00:13:58.620]So, I did more research, conducted the survey,
[00:14:01.500]and also contacted people to know what they think
[00:14:04.920]would be permitted.
[00:14:06.330]We've been patience and shows and up to make them.
[00:14:08.657]During this 10 weeks year in Valentine,
[00:14:11.420]I had the brief opportunity to work on childcare access,
[00:14:16.320]which is one of the main issues here in Valentine.
[00:14:19.970]So, there was a way for us to have all the available
[00:14:24.000]and recent data about childcare issue.
[00:14:27.570]After collecting the research from the survey,
[00:14:30.487]we were able to do a business.
[00:14:32.515]That business, then explained
[00:14:34.264]what we would do as a childcare,
[00:14:36.337]if we do.
[00:14:37.320]We work together, as a collective impact,
[00:14:40.809]to find a way to collaborate
[00:14:42.996]and to have funding to open the daycare.
[00:14:50.594]The thought I put on when I was here in Wakefield
[00:14:52.050]was a 5k.
[00:14:53.490]I decided that I...
[00:14:54.323]I just figured that'd be a good way
[00:14:55.350]for people to kind of explore the community
[00:14:57.630]and get to know more about Wakefield.
[00:14:59.340]It'll also be a good way for people
[00:15:00.960]to just kind of get out in the town
[00:15:03.630]and it's fun for all ages.
[00:15:07.380]After learning a lot about the Wakefield's culture,
[00:15:09.750]I've noticed a lot of disparities
[00:15:11.100]in terms of promotional activities.
[00:15:13.200]So, I went ahead and created brand new trailers,
[00:15:16.770]and walkthroughs, and teasers for the historic places
[00:15:20.970]and the community interactive tours,
[00:15:23.400]highlighting the diverse populations of the Wakefield.
[00:15:26.190]Another project that I worked on
[00:15:27.330]when I was here in Wakefield
[00:15:28.350]was updating each business's Google information,
[00:15:30.750]many didn't have any information on Google at all.
[00:15:33.240]They had the wrong hours
[00:15:34.470]or didn't have links to their website.
[00:15:35.760]So, I wanted to go through
[00:15:36.593]and make sure that got updated for each business in town.
[00:15:39.240]My most rewarding activity
[00:15:40.710]was assisting in the planning
[00:15:42.300]and organizing an event call Wakefield Street Market,
[00:15:45.870]which turned out to be a pretty big hit
[00:15:48.210]for getting the people together
[00:15:50.000]and boosting the local economy for the business partners
[00:15:53.190]and also the community.
[00:15:55.000](uplifting music)

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Rural Fellows Final Presentation 2022

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