While panelists at a recent OpenSky webinar put forth many ideas that Nebraska could implement to help attract and retain residents, an overarching theme throughout was the need for the state to help residents have a sense of community and belonging.
The panelists noted this is particularly important given the growing diversity of our state’s population as well as our geographic diversity.
“One of the things that I’m super passionate about personally is really focusing on making communities — not only in Omaha, but across the state — more inclusive, and really encouraging that dialogue about social justice and what it really takes to provide equitable opportunities for all of our community members,” said panelist Liz Codina, a Community Investment Officer with the Peter Kiewit Foundation in Omaha.
Codina was joined on the panel by Kyle Arganbright, Mayor of Valentine and co-founder and executive vice president of Sandhills State Bank and co-founder of Bolo Beer Co.; Dr. Shirley Vargas, a senior administrator in the Nebraska Department of Education; and Pamela Hitchens, a physician recruiter with Nebraska Medicine.
The discussion was moderated by Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, who stopped the conversation at one-point to recap the various ideas panelists had put forward that could help Nebraska attract and retain people.
The ideas included implementing talent development initiatives, increased investments in education, ensuring livable wages, creating more welcoming communities, working to improve quality of life in our communities, increased investments in housing, expanding access to broadband internet, highlighting opportunities in high-growth career fields, increased and improved child care options, strengthening our main steets and helping residents with student loan debt.
The panelists noted that implementing ideas such as these could help more people have a sense of community in Nebraska.
You can watch a recording of the webinar here and below you can read webinar recaps from:
Also below, Arganbright responds to some of the audience questions that remained after the webinar concluded:
How would before and after school programs help revitalize schools and communities?
After school programs are a necessary part of the child care continuum. Providing students with a developmental experience in the hours between when school ends and their parents’ work day might end is important. Globally, providing a system of positive activities for children in a community is a great attractor for families and supportive of workforce efforts.
The “creative community concept,” where creatives of any kind (software developers, furniture makers, etc.) can be with each other and enjoy cultural activities is seen as an attractor in both urban and rural communities. Is this something that you are hearing about or feel is important to recruitment and retention in Nebraska?
Absolutely. It’s all about having diversity and critical mass in a workforce. For instance, Valentine’s ranch economy is strong because we have a critical mass of ranchers and businesses that support ranchers. This has a hardening effect on the industry through support, relationships, and innovation.
Creative community was a real buzzword before we realized we had housing, broadband, and workforce supply issues, but it’s still a valuable addition worth attracting. Omaha and Lincoln have this creative community and have done well at building upon the foundation. Rural communities have it in spurts, but it’s a huge opportunity. These businesses help brand rural communities differently, often add to quality of life through different experiences and local goods, and enhance the economy by offering unique employment options and producing goods that are typically exported. Heck, one of Valentine’s largest private employers would fall into the category of a ‘creative’ business. Creativity is an important skill in growing communities. Having more creative people will only help that cause.
Is our public school system an asset or liability to attracting or retaining people in Nebraska? Why or why not?
Of course it’s an asset. Nebraska’s public school system is commonly rated in the top ten among state school systems in the country. In rural communities, these schools unite and rally the community and provide great opportunities for all children. I’m sure everybody can find something they’d like to improve in their local school system, but we have it pretty good comparatively.