Rural Equity Leadership Series

Leaders in Iowa know the importance of making their communities welcoming and inclusive places to live, work, raise families and retire. Successful communities understand that centering equity in these conversations ensures that reality for all Iowans and newcomers. Census data tells us that demographics in Iowa are shifting, and we must adapt and evolve as our communities change.

Understanding rural equity and leading racial equity conversations in rural Iowa is good, important and sometimes challenging work. Leaders have been asking us questions like:

• Where do we start? What language do we use?
• How do we support newcomers and diverse populations in our rural towns?
• How do we lead these conversations with business and community partners?

If you've been asking these questions, this three-part series is for you! These interactive conversations will give rural Iowa leaders knowledge and tools to apply in their work. The series will equip leaders to bring their communities/counties together around what they love most about their unique place and the people who call it home.

This series will create a network of regional leaders committed to rural equity who will continue to be allies for each other, as we collectively build bridges and learn to communicate across cultures in rural Iowa. We will use tools developed for the Community Heart & Soul® process that are designed to do meaningful community engagement work in small, rural towns. The tools involve all voices and bring people together around the things that matter most. We hope you will join us - and consider inviting a colleague or fellow community leader to participate with you as well!