Do You Want to Live Rural?
As many of you know, I am on a journey to live rural and find a farm place of my own. (More on that here.) As of now, the search still continues, and my current landlords are letting me extend my lease month-by-month, so I’m not homeless! But I am definitely excited for life on the farm and for the day this will all come together.
I recently attended a FarmHer Grow event as a mentor to the high school and college girls in attendance. I was able to ask these girls questions, and they were able to ask me questions in return, and we had some great conversations about careers and next steps and figuring out what to do with your life. One of the questions I asked each group of girls was, do you want to live rural? Out of the 50-ish girls I asked, all but two said yes (and even those two were on the fence). I can’t even begin to tell you how excited that made me. That number was honestly a lot higher than I expected, and it gave me a sense of urgency to do everything possible to make sure that can happen for them.
Over the past year I’ve gotten to work on some key projects to help bring jobs to rural America. These projects are painting a picture of why rural jobs are a win for everyone. And now more than ever I want to show employers that there is a desire, there is a need for rural jobs, and help them justify bringing jobs here to our small towns. And I need your help to do it. So, if you’re a high school or college student, would you please take this short survey? Your response will be super valuable to not only me, but to everyone working hard to bring life back to our rural communities. (And I want this to paint an accurate picture, so every response — whether you want to live rural or not — matters.)
I’m excited for this generation because this may be the first time it’s actually possible to live rural, no matter what your industry or job. When I graduated with my degree in public relations in 2004, the only jobs in that field were in the city. Living rural and doing a job in that field were not possible then. But it is now, and I want to make sure we’re doing everything possible to give this next generation what I could only dream of.
One last thing...can I ask a quick favor? Will you share this survey link on your social media pages so we can get as many people as possible to take the survey? Thank you so much for helping us gather important insights so we can serve you even better.
>> Danna Larson, Rural Revival Founder