Restoring the Entrepreneurial Spirit

The migration of young Australians to large regional centres and cities and the resulting negative impact on rural towns is well documented. It is widely acknowledged by academics that community leadership and entrepreneurism can play crucial roles in reversing this trend and embracing positive change. Programs in similar agricultural communities overseas have successfully reversed rural population losses. Communities like Valley County (Ord) in Southern Nebraska have made a significant difference with a very strategic approach over a ten-year period. By working together they have increased their population, the number of businesses, employed people, and even their median household income level.

Operation Next Gen is a program coordinated by Community Leadership Loddon Murray Inc (CLLM) to identify practical strategies to address the issue of declining populations within the region. A series of focussed community-wide conversations and planning sessions have been conducted across the participating towns, directed at identifying practical and achievable strategies for communities to encourage and support a culture of entrepreneurism aimed at retaining and attracting young people to rural areas.

Community Leadership Loddon Murray Inc (CLLM) is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to engage, encourage and empower members of the community in leadership roles. Three part time staff coordinates CLLM’s activities, working in partnership with graduates and a wide variety of stakeholders including local government and community groups.

As a culmination of these community conversations and planning sessions, CLLM conducted the Restoring Entrepreneurial Spirit regional summit on 22 April 2013, bringing together not only the pilot towns but other community leaders from across these three Shires to discuss what ideas have been implemented and future pathways that will continue to build on these initiatives. The participating towns of Boort, Birchip and Cohuna in the Operation Next Gen pilot project came together to share the key initiatives that have come out of their community conversations over the past ten months. A cross fertilisation of ideas ensued with great enthusiasm.

This summit provided a strong platform for sharing the outcomes of Operation Next Gen and continuing the important conversation of restoring the entrepreneurial spirit in small rural towns. The outcomes of the summit will be available on a website ensuring that the initiatives can be maximised and shared widely with all small towns within these flood affected communities. It is envisioned that the website will act as a hub for these small towns providing case studies and links to other initiatives across Australia and beyond to support communities as they continue or start their planning to support young people to live and work in rural Victoria.

Restoring the Entrepreneurial Spirit and Operation Next Gen are partnerships between Community Leadership Loddon Murray Inc (CLLM), the Buloke, Gannawarra and Loddon Shire Councils, the North Central Local Learning & Education Network, Youth Connections and the State Government of Victoria. These partners have committed $45,000 to the project. FRRR contributed $3800 to CMML to support venue hire and the cost of a facilitator for the event.