The purpose of the Online Journal of Rural Research and Policy is to expand publication opportunities for scholars in our field. The journal is a peer-reviewed, online publication. It publishes academic and community-based research, commentary, and policy articles focused on the Great Plains in a way that is of interest to both academic and community audiences. The goal is not only to present theory, but to stimulate discussion, encourage more research on rural issues, and improve access to information that promotes decision-making that enhances rural people and places. Read more...
Current Issue: Volume 9, Issue 2
Creating Constraints to Community Resiliency: The Event of a Rural School's Closure
In this study, a community resilience model is utilized to explore the impacts of a rural school’s closure and its implication on community resiliency in the Village of Limerick, Saskatchewan. The findings from four semi-structured interviews and three focus groups indicate that the school’s closure created a number of constraints that have considerable implications for community resilience. In particular, the school’s closure decreased the residents’ sense of community. In addition, as a result of the school’s closure, the community resident’s experienced diminishing civic engagement in the form of volunteerism, community recreation participation, and intergenerational relationships. This paper demonstrates the challenges of a rural school’s closure on cultivating community resiliency, but also the changes to rural residents’ lives and their communities.