“I think a lot of people feel small towns are dying and there’s nothing we can do about it. It doesn’t have to be that way. Towns just need a vision and a revitalization plan. It doesn’t happen overnight but it can happen,” said Brett Boggs, Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce Education Steering Committee member and Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. superintendent.
The book “Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America” has been selected by the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce Education Steering Committee as the focus this year of the annual Education Summit in Warsaw. The book also was selected for the Kosciusko Literacy Services’ annual community book read.
One of the authors of the book, Patrick J. Carr, will visit Warsaw to make two presentations.
The first will be from 4 to 5:45 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center. The Nov. 3 presentation will be geared toward community members and educators from Kosciusko County schools.
At the Education Summit Nov. 4 at Lakeland Christian Academy, Carr will give the second presentation. Breakfast will be served from 7 to 7:30 a.m., followed by Carr’s keynote speech from 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. There then will be two panels, with the Education Summit concluded by no later than 10:30 a.m.
Panel one will cover entrepreneurs, agriculture and business, with panel two covering community leaders, civic leaders, political leaders and educators. Those on the panels will be successful individuals who made the choice to either remain in or return to the local community in which they were raised.
Anyone interested in either or both events may attend by contacting the Chamber.
Boggs said “Hollowing Out the Middle” was shared with him previously. He then used it in a book study with Valley’s administration. Then this year, he thought it would be good for the Education Summit. The Chamber was able to get Carr to come for the Summit.
According to the book jacket, “In 2001, with funding from the MacArthur Foundation, sociologists Carr and Maria J. Kefalas moved to Iowa to understand the rural brain drain and the exodus of young people from America’s countryside. They met and followed working-class ‘stayers’; ambitious and college-bound ‘achievers’; ‘seekers’, who head off to war to see what the world beyond offers; and ‘returners’, who eventually circle back to their hometowns. What surprised them most was that adults in the community were playing a pivotal part in the town’s decline by pushing the best and brightest young people to leave.”
Boggs said the book explains how and why small towns are dying a slow death, but provides a conclusion on how they can be saved.
The book mentions small towns are unintentionally killing themselves by telling their best and brightest they need to go someplace else to be successful, when they should be encouraged to come back.
“With this generation of kids, I think they will be more willing to do what they can for the world and giving back and paying back,” said Boggs. “And that’s encouraging.”
He said kids need to be encouraged to get involved and take part in their communities.
Cindy Cates, executive director of Kosciusko Literacy Services and Education Steering Committee member, said the message in the book and at the Summit will be good for educators.
Another message in the book, she said, is that communities need to reach out to the young people who stay in the communities as they aren’t reached out to enough.
“In their opinion,” Boggs said of the book authors, “we don’t focus enough on the stayers.”
For the Tippecanoe Valley Distinguished Alumni Class of 2011, Boggs said, alumni living within 20 miles of the school campus purposely was chosen to show students that they don’t have to go that far to be successful. With technology today, a person can live anywhere and be employed by about any company.
Through the book discussion and the Education Summit, Boggs said they hope to get key people involved in the discussion as there is great potential there.
Cates said, as part of the community book read, they also will have an essay contest. There will be book discussions, and lots of schools are encouraging people to read “Hollowing Out the Middle.”
Copies of the book can be found at libraries and schools around the county.
“It’s been a good joint effort to bring this together and I’m always thrilled when schools get involved,” said Cates.
Both the Nov. 3 and Nov. 4 events are free. To RSVP to the events, contact the Chamber at info@wkchamber.com, register online at www.wkchamber.com or call 574-269-6562.
