When 30 percent of paper mill jobs were lost from 2000 to 2010 in Wisconsin’s rural south Wood County, it had more than just an economic impact.
Many corporations and executives left the area and residents who stayed had to scramble to find new jobs. The community faced new challenges in leadership and a shifting culture precisely when its information landscape was changing: local news was reduced to a single page in the Daily Tribune and television broadcasting rarely covered issues that mattered to its residents.
The Incourage Community Foundation knew its residents would need more opportunities to provide relevant local information and help the community during its transition. After research revealed that more than a third of low-income families didn’t use the Internet, the foundation set aside initial plans to create an online news site and shifted its focus to facilitating civic dialogue and building better digital literacy.
Knight recently talked with Kelly Ryan, Incourage’s President and CEO, to find out how its community changed in the process and what advice she’d give others embarking on similar work.
What's the one thing you'd tell community foundations embarking on this process?
K.R.: Information investments are vital in broad scale community change efforts. As grantmakers, we know instinctively that data, research and evaluation matter. What we’re not so good at knowing or seeking to understand is the ‘information culture’ that exists in our communities. How does information flow and to whom? Who has access to information? What are the barriers to access? If access is not an issue, do residents have the capacity to utilize information effectively? How do we help residents turn knowledge into action?
It is long-term work that requires humility, learning, reflection and perseverance. One cannot do it effectively without understanding power dynamics, culture, networks and systems change strategies. It is difficult, sometimes ambiguous work - but absolutely essential to creating vibrant, prosperous communities that work for all people.
You used the Knight Commission Report on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy. Was it valuable? How so?