A New Generation Is Returning to Practice the Small-Town Art of Participation

A new generation of young people is returning to rural areas to immerse themselves in the difficult and rewarding work of being part of a community. Maybe rural America has something to teach the rest of the country on that score.

What I’ve learned from living in Athens is that participation in living in a collective future is what nourishes us.

We are facing huge challenges now about how we will continue to feed and fuel our planet. But even more important, I think, is this question of how we stay within sight and sound of each other across all the barriers and borders we put up. I think rural people have something to teach us about repairing the breach.

By Whitney Kimball Coe

Practicing the Small-Town Art of Participation