Who is going to mind the store?

THE VIEW FROM HERE

Along every road to success there will be bumps, twists and turns, and anyone looking for an easy trip these days is in for a rude awakening.

I know it’s difficult for some people to hear the truth, but let’s cut right to the chase.

These are difficult times for most rural communities not only in Nova Scotia but, indeed, throughout most of North America. Faced with changing demographics brought on by a variety of reasons. including an aging and shrinking population, a demise of many traditional resource-based industries such as forestry and fisheries, a shift in traditional shopping patterns, a change in social priorities, competition from the burgeoning technology advancement and a renewed gravitational pull to urban centres, rural communities are grappling with many issues.

The challenge for rural communities is to develop a strategy not only to stop the bleeding but one that also builds a strong and brighter future. Is that a tough objective? Without a doubt. Just ask the leaders in rural communities near and far who have been trying in recent years to do just that. Surely, you’ll get a resounding yes.

Is it impossible? No. In fact, there are many examples around the province where communities have found renewed growth, but overall, it’s still a tough slog.

Everyone who is working to build their community will certainly agree while the objective isn’t impossible, it’s absolutely a daunting task that requires the complete understanding and full co-operation of everyone who lives and works in their area.

It’s also necessary for everyone to stay on the same page and that’s especially true when the community experiences bumps along the inevitable rocky road that they’re sure to encounter throughout this journey.

When the tough times get tougher, it’s vital everyone pulls together. Pointing fingers, assigning blame and ridiculing others is all counter productive to success, and in the end, usually makes a bad situation seem worse. Eventually, such a negative attitude may hasten the downward spiral.

Along every road to success there will be bumps, twists and turns, and anyone looking for an easy trip these days is in for a rude awakening. Instead of being quick to assign blame, I would encourage everyone to find a way to make a contribution. I get it that people are busy or they believe they have something better to do, but I believe our rural communities have a strong and vibrant future, one that will be built through resilience, vision, co-operation and a great deal of hard work. The fact is we are only going to get there if we work together toward our common goals.

One way people can make a positive contribution is by volunteering to assist in the many upcoming festivals and events that have become so important to our region.

As we build our blossoming tourism industry, it’s vital our communities maintain and build upon those activities that not only bring in visitors which leads to positive economic bump, but also help to define their community as these events are usually established around an area’s heritage or to celebrate a region’s natural resources.

As more and more of our traditional industries contribute less to our local economies, these events will continue to play an even greater role in the overall survival and future of our region. However, some of these events may already be facing an uncertain future as the volunteer pool is becoming dangerously close to drying up.

In recent years, I’ve heard of several festivals through the region that are struggling not only to find people power to help stage the event, but more importantly these events require leaders who have the vision, commitment, strength, courage, time and desire to take on a major challenge.

Let’s not mince words here. Stepping up to take on the chairperson role of any headlining festival is a major commitment and there are many past examples of events that have failed due to poor leadership. However, I choose to believe there are motivated people in our communities who want to see these festivals survive and grow and those are the individuals we need to find.

These festivals are important not only because they attract valuable tourist dollars and provide an activity around which residents can rally, but these events also instill pride in our communities and heritage. However, a shortage of volunteers from which to draw for leadership could lead to the loss of these important tourist features in a region that has been regaining its economic footing.

While we’re at it, I’d like to applaud the existing crop of volunteers and leaders who have guided past festivals through recent years, including through the challenging pandemic era, but we understand there comes a time to step back. We can’t fault anyone for wanting to pass the torch. In fact, those who have contributed so much for so long have earned the right to step down and let someone else carry the ball for a while. The question remains, is there someone willing to receive that ball?

I get it that people are busy. I also understand not everyone is cut out to lead a committee or chair an organization, but far too often we hear people criticising what other people try to do to improve their communities instead up stepping up to take on the challenge themselves.

Let’s face it. It’s easier to sit back and criticise than step up and take responsibility. But really, if we want these things to continue then it’s time for everyone to stop pointing fingers and start making a contribution, lest we risk the possibility that these types of events and activities are going to disappear.

However, for these things to continue, it’s time for someone else to mind the store for a spell or least that’s the view from here.

Vernon Oickle, the author of 32 books, writes The View From Here column, which appears weekly in the South Shore Breaker.