Annual
Report Letter
This
year's Annual Report is filled with the revitalization work of
Rural Action's
members, board, staff and VISTAs. We are linking--as
our motto says-- "ideas to action."
As important as our projects are to revitalizing rural Appalachian
Ohio, I think the most important work we do may be described as "creating
free-social space in which people can learn democratic values and
leadership skills, obtain alternative sources of information about
the world, form a coherent pattern of group identity, a vision of
the common good, and act on their values and beliefs." (Steve
Fisher, Fighting Back in Appalachia: Traditions of Resistance
and Change, Temple University Press, 1993)
In Fisher's book he tells how single issue, grassroots organizations
have proved unable to establish continuity or to see beyond the immediate
crisis. While their work is significant and to be celebrated, they
usually fade away once their crisis is past. He also describes another
set of groups into which I would place Rural Action. These groups
mature to the point where they see their issues and actions linked
to the larger social forces, including the national and world political
economy. They become "mediating structures" in their region,
helping citizens to understand the local-global link. (Couto, Making
Democracy Work Better, University of N. Carolina Press, 1999.)
For example, our Community and School Connections project acts
as a mediating structure when it works to organize local citizens
to
take action and challenge Ohio's policies for funding public schools
and facilities. Likewise, our Health Concerns Committee is acting
in a mediating capacity when it challenges current policies governing
health insurance. In the coming year, with some new foundation
snpport, we will be working on policy development in several
of our project
areas, including agriculture and forestry.
As you read our Annual Report, be aware that behind each organizing
or development project that is described, there was once a concerned
entrepreneur who gathered others about him or her to form a Rural
Action committee. As the committees matured through strategic planning
and fundraising, they began to see their ideas move into action.
If you are a person with an idea and if you have the discipline
to go through the development process, please feel free to contact
our
staff. If you do so, you will find yourself moving in that free
social space where creativity and democracy mingle.
Sincerely,
Carol
M. Kuhre
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