Growing Small Towns

Growing Small Towns Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Growing Small Towns, Nonprofit Organization, Oakes, ND.

Growing Small Towns is headquartered in Oakes, North Dakota, and we challenge small towns across the country to think differently about how they become places people love to call home.

Creativity isn't always just a personality trait. It's also a muscle.Yes, some people are naturally more able to think o...
05/11/2026

Creativity isn't always just a personality trait. It's also a muscle.

Yes, some people are naturally more able to think outside the box or have a flair for creativity. Like, they have an innate sense for design or color, or can have always been a good writer, or can draw really well.

Lots of what we interpret as creativity, though, is actually practice. Even the most successful creatives have teachers and coaches and thrive best in environments that enhance and enable their creativity.

But, not all creativity is obvious. Sometimes it's about problem-solving, or resource allocation, or how to drum up support. And, a lot of us are actually way more creative than we realize, and the more we flex that muscle, the stronger it gets.

And that's kind of the whole point. Like any muscle, creativity gets stronger the more you use it, even when you're not working on your own stuff. Showing up to help someone else think through their challenge, brainstorm their idea, see around a corner they can't see around yet? That counts. That builds something in you too.

And, it helps because creativity thrives in environments that enable it.

Think about actual exercising: it's much easier to, say, lift weights when you know how, you have the right setup, there aren't a ton of barriers to building a routine, and you have the support of people in your life.

Creativity is the same way. Some of the most valuable people in our GST Club Catalyst Calls are the ones who showed up just to listen, but ended up being exactly what someone else on the call needed in that moment.

So here's our question for you: do you think of yourself as a creative person or a problem-solver? And if the answer is "not really" — what would make you reconsider? 👇

Every great thing was once just somebody's idea.Sliced bread? Straight outta someone's brain. Hearing aids? Miller Reece...
05/09/2026

Every great thing was once just somebody's idea.

Sliced bread? Straight outta someone's brain.
Hearing aids? Miller Reece Hutchinson just thought those bad boys up.
Lightbulbs? Thanks, Mr. Edison
Functional pockets in women's clothing? Claire McCardell thought we needed some.
Indoor plumbing? Thank those Greeks.
The building blocks for GPS, wifi, and Bluetooth? Hedy Lamarr, in her spare time from being an actress just, like, figured those out.

And all the great things about your small town? Something someone just thought of. And every great thing your town needs? Probably just an idea that hasn't fully come to life yet.

That's a big part of why GST and the Rural Ideas Network exist—to be a home and support for the people who think that way. The ones who are wired to create, to try, to make things better, even when it feels like nobody else gets it. (And sometimes, let's be honest, it does feel that way.)

This week's episode with Jordan is a good reminder that your people are out there. And the GST Club — and the Rural Ideas Network — is one really good place to find them.
Growing small towns starts with growing the people who love them. 🌱

From our local Mental Health Coalition, we want to remind everyone that May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this y...
05/08/2026

From our local Mental Health Coalition, we want to remind everyone that May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year's theme is "More Good Days, Together".

Locally, we're wearing green on Monday to show our support for mental health.

And while yes, this is the month that's been set aside to focus on this topic, we want to remind everyone that the concept of "good" changes from day to day.

Some days, good might mean that you had a truly bang-up day, with people and things you love in abundance.

Other days? Good might mean that you got through the day.

The focus of this year's theme isn't to insist that you pretend things are good when they're not; that's actually the opposite of the point.

The other big part of this year's theme is that we create more good days when we do it TOGETHER. One of our local therapists recently said, "Healing doesn't happen alone."

In this community, we show up for each other. And we hope this reminder continues long after May is over.

But in the meantime, here are a few small things we can all do:

1. Take a moment to think about what makes a good day for you. If even thinking about that feels hard right now, that's OK. You're not alone, and help is available.
2. Remember that mental health IS health; our bodies, minds, and spirits are deeply intertwined. Move your body. Feed your body well. Rest when you need to. All of the ways we care for our bodies directly impact our mental health.
3. Remember that connection matters. Say hi on the street. Check in on a friend. Send a quick text. The little moments can remind us we're not alone.

Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. We need you here.

We live in a time where we get to see a *lot* of highlight reels and achievements on social media. And, while it's wonde...
05/08/2026

We live in a time where we get to see a *lot* of highlight reels and achievements on social media. And, while it's wonderful to celebrate the wins, it's important to be honest about what it took to get that win, or how long that achievement was in the making, or how many failures were behind the highlights.

On this week's podcast episode, Rebecca gets honest about how hard the early days of Growing Small Towns were and how close she came to giving up.

What kept her going? Sometimes you don't need a solution. You just need to know you're not alone. Finding people who understood what she was trying to do.

One of those people is this week's guest, Jordan DeGree, who has supported Growing Small Towns from the beginning. Being supportive is kind of what he does, and one of the driving forces behind Rural Ideas Network.

Finding support can feel tough, especially when you live in a small community and not everyone gets your vision or what you're hoping to do. That's where the RIN comes in.

As Jordan puts it: "If you're feeling isolated, if you feel like your idea isn't getting the traction that you wanted to get locally, but you know it's a good idea — the Rural Ideas Network is a place where you can find other people to keep you motivated, keep you inspired."

That motivation, support, inspiration is sometimes all we need to keep pushing through and building amazing things, and that's the whole point.

What could you do with a little support?

One of our favorite people is back on the show with us, and we're so excited. Jordan DeGree is one of the masterminds be...
05/04/2026

One of our favorite people is back on the show with us, and we're so excited.

Jordan DeGree is one of the masterminds behind Rural Ideas Network and has been in our corner from the very beginning.

He's back this week to talk about exactly that: why it's so dang important to have someone in your corner, and what that looks like. We talk about what's new (Rural Ideas Network 2.0, if you will), including some seriously cool updates that GST Club members get full access to: a revamped member directory, a Rural Talent Directory, quarterly Innovator Showcases, brand-new cash-prize awards, and the annual Rural Ideas Summit on October 8th.

All of those features are great, and we love them, but it's really the support that gets us going. Making our small towns better can be incredibly lonely, energy-draining work, and we, and Jordan, are here to change that.

In this episode, we cover:
- The origin story of the Rural Ideas Network — and what five years of experimenting built into RIN 2.0
- Why "Rural Innovator" is a bigger tent than you might think
- The new Rural Innovator Awards, the wildcard category, and the October 8th Summit date you'll want to save
- Rebecca's honest reflection on almost quitting — and what pulled her back
- Why "where you're standing determines what you see" might be the most useful thing you hear this week

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or on the GST website here: https://www.growingsmalltowns.org/post/season6episode13

You know our motto: "When people get better, everything gets better."This week's podcast episode is what that looks like...
05/02/2026

You know our motto: "When people get better, everything gets better."

This week's podcast episode is what that looks like in action.

Amy Jacobson's work at UND isn't just about filling teaching vacancies. It's about building a pipeline of people who are genuinely prepared, genuinely supported, and genuinely invested in the communities they serve.

The layered mentorship model, the tuition support, the year of real classroom experience alongside a veteran teacher— all of it is designed to create not just competence, but confidence. And confident people stay.

Zoom out even further, and this episode is really about something every small town grapples with: what does it actually take to make sure the people who live here want to *stay?*

Part of that is making sure they can access what they need to thrive. Special education at our public schools falls into this category. Strong special education doesn't just benefit the kids accessing those services. It says, "We're a community that's invested in our kids and our schools." It provides career paths, keeps schools healthy and growing, and adds a layer of depth that makes our communities even more beautiful.

That's what growing a small town actually looks like. Not one big swing, but a hundred thoughtful decisions to invest in people and build the kind of place where they want to stay.

If we recruit without ongoing support, it doesn't really matter because we won't retain who we recruit. This is especial...
04/30/2026

If we recruit without ongoing support, it doesn't really matter because we won't retain who we recruit.

This is especially true for teachers in small towns. Without support, they simply don't stay.

Our guest this week, Amy Jacobson, knows this. Enter: UND's Special Education Resident Teacher Program.

This isn't a "Yay, you're a qualified teacher, adios! Good luck!" sort of program. We often throw teachers in the deep end, but think of the resident teacher program as easing in slowly, and adjusting bit by bit.

(Can you tell we're ready for summer over here? The pool metaphors keep coming.)

Candidates spend a full year in the classroom with a veteran mentor by their side AND ongoing coaching from UND — a gradual release into independence that leaves them ready instead of adrift.

That layered, gradual approach translates directly to higher retention, which translates directly to stronger schools and stronger communities.

To hear more about this approach, listen to this week's podcast episode anywhere you get your podcasts.

(Pictured: Amy with her family.)

Teacher shortages, in general, are something most small towns struggle with. Special ed teachers can be even harder to c...
04/27/2026

Teacher shortages, in general, are something most small towns struggle with. Special ed teachers can be even harder to come by.

And, when schools suffer, communities suffer.

We know that schools are often the backbones of our small towns. Yes, lots of local activities revolve around school and school sports, but schools are critical infrastructure, provide jobs, and are crucial for investing in our kids and attracting families to our communities.

So, yeah, teachers are a big deal.

Happily, lots of other people agree, and one of those people is on the podcast this week. Amy Jacobson, Director of UND's Special Education Resident Teacher Program, is addressing both Special Ed teacher and general teacher shortages in real time, and it's working.

(Really well, actually!)

She joins us to break down how her program recruits, trains, and retains teachers in rural North Dakota, and communities anywhere (not just in ND) can take something away from this episode.

In this episode, we cover:
- How UND's Special Education Resident Teacher Program combines grad school with a paid, year-long classroom internship and how that helps retention
- The creative dual-enrollment pathway Amy built for people who want in but don't have a completed bachelor's degree that helps them earn two degrees in roughly four years
- Why 75–85% of resident teacher candidates today have zero education background — and why that's a feature, not a bug
- Practical ideas any community can steal: apprenticeship programs, dual credit for high schoolers, and employer-matched tuition through local economic development
- Why strong special education in rural schools isn't just good for schools but the whole community

If you care about schools and teachers and how much they affect our small towns, this episode is for you! Listen on any podcast platform or at https://www.growingsmalltowns.org/post/season6episode12

You know what we say: When people get better, everything gets better. That starts with understanding your energy. This w...
04/26/2026

You know what we say: When people get better, everything gets better.

That starts with understanding your energy.

This week's episode with Rebecca Ryan introduces the FEBI assessment, a framework that identifies whether you're a Visionary, Collaborator, Organizer, or Driver.

For those of us in small towns trying to make change happen, this isn't just interesting, it's a tool to help us understand how we work, how to best use our energy, and how we can affect the most change.

It can be hard to fit certain energy (like Visionary/Collaborator) into traditional roles, but we don't have to. We can expand or reinvision those roles into things that actually serve the people working in them so that they, in turn can serve their community.

Work in your strengths.
Invite the right people at the right time.
Build trust.
Cast a vision your grandchildren will be proud of.

We can see it in the moments when someone's energy finally gets to be unleashed to its full potential. It's pretty awesome when that happens.

Wanna know a reframe that we love and is entirely necessary for the future of small towns? We have to realize that the f...
04/22/2026

Wanna know a reframe that we love and is entirely necessary for the future of small towns? We have to realize that the future isn't just something that happens *to* us.

In this week's episode with futurist Rebecca Ryan, she drops this bomb: "Our forebears all made decisions that created a future that we are now living in. And we have that same power, and I would say responsibility to do that for our future generations."

💣💣💣right?

Whether it's the expectable future (staying the course), the challenging future (when stuff hits the fan), or the visionary future (when the right things happen in the right ways), we get to shape what comes next.

Stop waiting for someone else to save your town. You ARE the someone. 💪

(Pictured: Rebecca with a gingersnap which is, in our opinon, one of the more superior varieties of cookies.)

Is your community's strategic plan just last year's plan with a new date slapped on it?In this week's episode, Rebecca s...
04/20/2026

Is your community's strategic plan just last year's plan with a new date slapped on it?

In this week's episode, Rebecca sits down with fellow Rebecca and futurist Rebecca Ryan to talk about why small towns need to stop planning based on the past and start casting visions for multiple possible futures.

This one made us *think*, friends, and stretched our brains in the best way. Host Rebecca even admitted to saying things out loud she's never said before, so you know it's good.

In this episode, we cover:
- How Rebecca Ryan became a professional futurist and why that career path even exists
- The FEBI assessment and its four energy patterns: Visionary, Collaborator, Organizer, and Driver
- Why most strategic plans are just last year's document with updated dates
- The three futures framework: expectable, challenging, and visionary
- Why trust is the invisible force multiplier that makes or breaks community work

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or on the GST site at https://www.growingsmalltowns.org/post/season6episode11

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Oakes, ND

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