Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Rural Talks to Rural 2024 (R2R24) – October 16-18, 2024

EXPLORING OUR DIFFERENCES TOGETHER

press release

LISA THOMPSON, MINISTER of RURAL AFFAIRS for ONTARIO, WELCOMES THE WORLD TO THE VILLAGE OF BLYTH FOR R2R24

With gratitude and grace, the producers of the biennial Rural Talks to Rural (R2R) gathering wish to thank all who put shoulder to the wheel and who collectively brought the best of themselves to Blyth, Ontario, Canada to explore our differences together.

“You plan and plan,” R2R co-producers Casandra Bryant and Pete Smith said, “and you still don’t know how things will unfold. But as soon as we began an environment quickly developed that was at once rigorous, an exploration, a place to learn and share – with a whole lot of rural folks talking to rural folks about what matters most in their community.”

The conference opened with Austin Silversmith of Six Nations offering the Thanksgiving Address in Cayuga and English.

Our government values the diverse voices and perspectives that have made the Rural Talks to Rural Conference so impactful. Rural Ontario is a beautiful patchwork of unique communities and by working together we can turn any challenge into an opportunity,” says Lisa Thompson, Minister of Rural Affairs. “The documentary film, ‘Exploring Our Differences Together’, will be a great vehicle to showcase how diverse approaches can illuminate opportunities in our small communities throughout rural Ontario. I look forward to seeing this documentary generate positive outcomes across the province.” Warden Glenn McNeil then gave a warm and enthusiastic welcome on behalf of Huron County.

R2R connects art, science, agriculture, and local and Indigenous Knowledge and brings together folks from the local community, inviting those from across Canada and from overseas. This year we explored the conversations we should be having in our rural communities. Whether it’s in a keynote address, at a workshop, on a nature walk, over a meal, or in the art gallery, stories get told, and questions are asked about our directions of travel as we figure out the next steps. This was also informed by on-the-ground economic development planning, provincial programming, leading rural research, and local community work.

“So many exciting things happened over the three days of R2R24,” Casandra Bryant said. “The level of energy when coupled with the desire to learn, to do better, could be felt in the air. From Sheila Robson singing from the Bridge over Blyth Creek in full voice, to the telling of stories in the Art of Hosting workshop, we are energized to work together with our shared destiny of community.”

Media Contact: Peter Smith, peter@ruralcreativity.org, 226-501-4094