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Radio stations provide rural residents with a key
link to the outside world. Rural families may switch
stations a number of times during a day to catch the
local weather and upcoming events, as well as a
more global perspective. Radio can be an effective
method of promoting local services and activities to
rural families. Learn when rural families listen to
the local radio station. This may be a community
calendar, the weather, or an early morning
announcement for school bus cancellations.
Community Resource Centre – Killaloe in Renfrew
County promotes their services through the
newspaper, radio, doctor’s office and a brochure. A
recent advertisement in the Valley Vendor brought new attention from first
time mothers. The Valley Vendor advertises second-hand articles and is popular among
parents with limited incomes.
Durham Farm and Rural Family Resources recognizes that winter is the time to promote their
summer On-Farm Childcare program. In some rural communities, advertising is predominantly
by word of mouth. It is important to have a presence over the winter months at meetings
associated with rural life. This may include the farming association meeting, a miners’ safety
meeting, or card games at the community hall. Staff need to learn how to get invited, and
how to promote word of mouth advertizing. When spring arrives, there is a shift in activity
from winter planning and fun, to summer action.
There are also the unexpected ways that information travels: at the feed mill, coffee shop, gas
station, Co-op store, grain elevator, tack shop, auctions, or the landfill site on dump day.
A rural women’s shelter came up with a creative approach to getting information about abuse
to isolated women – they collaborated with local veterinarians. When the vets were making a
house call, they could discretely leave
information with a woman who
might be at risk of abuse. This
method of distribution honoured
anonymity for the woman, educated
a business/service sector in a social
issue, built a partnership with a
unsuspected advocate, and did
what rural people do best – problem
solving using available resources.
22
How to Reach Rural Populations
“When you know the needs, provide a
program that meets those needs and
be ready to adapt as you go. You’re in
it for the long run.”
– Service Provider
37
Life on the Farm
Childcare needs of farm families tend to increase
during the spring, summer, and fall seasons. There
is a limited seasonal window of opportunity for
planting and harvesting. The intensity of work
increases with the use of heavy farm equipment and
the need to maximize use of daylight hours. Modern
lighting now allows even longer hours of work
in the field on some farms. This seasonal stress, on
top of managing animals, requires every adult to be
available to drive tractors, provide food for people
working, or pick up other duties to keep the farm
running. Farming is all about maximizing value and
minimizing risk – for the business and the family.
Durham Farm and Family Resources was founded to address the rising incidence of injuries
to farm children. In the early 1990’s a survey demonstrated the need for family resource
centres. Durham Farm and Rural Family Resources aims to provide quality and flexible
children’s services and programs to farm and rural families in Durham Region. Their goals
are to reduce injuries to farm children living on farms, increase programs for children and
their families and increase communication and coordination between agencies.
Farm children in the Durham Region can be safer thanks to a childcare initiative offered by
Durham Farm and Family Resources. The On-Farm Childcare program meets the challenge
of seasonal farm demands. Quality childcare is provided on the family farm from April to
September. The caregivers are post-secondary students with studies in child development
living in these rural communities. They are trained in infant care, safety on the farm and
in the home, programming for children and behaviour management. The Caregiver brings
a box of activities based on diverse themes. Student placement grants and community
donations make the program affordable for farm families.
This flexible on-the-farm program is designed to provide quality childcare for farm families.
Parents can concentrate on farm work during peak times without having their children
in the workplace. Having a part time person dedicated to promoting, organizing and
managing this program has been critical to its success.
For more information:
www.durhamfamilyresources.org/live/on-farm_childcare
23
How to Reach Rural Populations
STORIES OF RURAL INITIATIVES
36
24
How to Reach Rural Populations
Mums the Word
Sarah was born in a small rural hamlet in Ontario. She
is 28 years old and has one young child. In becoming a
mother, she gained an understanding and compassion for
her mother’s own experience. At eighteen years old her
mother said good-bye to her husband and the car every
morning, living in a drafty old farm house, with no
groups to attend, young children, little money... feeling
stuck. For Sarah, technology provided new access to
resources and support that is emerging – the internet.
Sarah formed a Facebook group called Mums the Word. Sarah and many of her friends are
at a similar “baby stage” in their life and she thought it would be more efficient to form
a group rather than emailing separate individuals. Friends added friends and now there
are 120 members with a common passion – their babies and young children.
This type of online friendship is the focus of today’s talk shows and university studies –
is it authentic, is it meaningful? While much concern lies around the potential loss of
intimacy of friendship, Sarah and her friends say otherwise.
Facebook can be accessed any time, day or night, and it is quite surprising how many are
online at all hours. One young mother in a rural area, using her Blackberry, posted at
12:15 am that she was in labour, and by 12:30 am, she had seven responses. This is the
type of support that young parents need.
Checking status updates of their friends, and hearing a ping of notification sparks
excitement. When a question or dilemma is posted at night, the responses are something
to look forward to in the morning.
Searching the internet for information can be overwhelming for some. In the Facebook
Mums the Word group, there is comfort that responses come from someone with a similar
experience, a voice of reassurance, or honesty about getting help, all without judgment.
Facebook provides opportunities to connect friends. For instance, people post what they are
planning to do on the weekend. One person posts that they are going swimming, which
happens to coincide with a friend’s visit from the city. Swimming is coordinated and babies,
mothers and friends reconnect. Likewise, the internet can increase program participation.
A Breakfast with Santa fundraiser had a high number of infants attending because a
young mother posted the event on Facebook.
STORIES OF RURAL INITIATIVES
35
25
How to Reach Rural Populations
The Station of Motherhood
Midwives make accommodations every day. They navigate and advocate for the women
and babies in their care. The amount of information available on pregnancy, childbirth and
infant care can be overwhelming. Women use the information and links provided by the
midwives to access credible services such as Motherisk www.motherisk.org for information
ranging from morning sickness and use of medications, to breastfeeding and vitamins.
What better recommendation than that of a satisfied customer. For one young woman
living in a rural area, her midwives were a source of education and support through preg-
nancy, labour and post birth care. She describes them as open minded and down to earth.
Midwives provided information and loaned her resources. She found that the care after
birth was superb. To be visited in your home at 24 hours, then 3 days, a week, and again
on week 2 and 4, and then when needed up to 6 weeks, provides solid grounding for new
mothers learning about the new little person in their lives. For this new mother, it wasn’t
just the care of the umbilical cord, or the monitoring for jaundice; it was also the care
for her. The way in which the midwives honoured her role, even though she was
inexperienced, was appreciated.
Words of encouragement like, “What a great Mom,
Levi has” can promote confidence and parenting
capacity. The midwives were described as relaxed,
unhurried and sincerely excited about her and
her baby.
In stark contrast, another young mother talked
about her trek across one of Ontario’s large cities
on public transit for her doctor’s appointment,
on the third day after birth with her newborn.
She told her story with sadness and anger and
made a commitment that her daughter will never
have to experience the nightmare of mothering
alone. She didn’t know midwives were available,
but her daughter will.
For more information:
www.midwivesgreybruce.com
STORIES OF RURAL INITIATIVES
37
26
How to Reach Rural Populations
From A to B and Back Again
Lack of transportation is one of the first hurdles identified
in almost all communities in rural Ontario. The County of
Wellington is not one of them. Wellington Transportation
Services gives rides to people who do not have access to
transportation. This could mean getting a ride from the farm, going to the larger city for
medical care, or a drive across town. A ride can be booked for reasons such as:
• Necessary appointments – medical, social services, government services, legal
• Social and healthy living – visiting family in long-term care, participation in active
lifestyle programs
• Daily living – grocery shopping, banking
Agencies that provided transportation for their own clients came together to share their
resources and to provide a more efficient service. Victorian Order of Nurses (VON), Family
& Children’s Services, Fergus/ Elora Senior Trans, East Wellington Community Services,
Seniors for Excellence, North Wellington Senior Council, and The Community Resource
Centre of North and Centre Wellington are all partnering agencies who serve different
populations in need of transportation.
Volunteers generously offer their time and are only reimbursed for fuel costs. Volunteers
might drive for one of the partner agencies or they may offer their services to a few or all
of them. Having a common registry facilitates an efficient response to a drive request.
Initially, there was a media recruitment campaign for volunteers. After a year of focused
effort, recruitment took on a life of its own and volunteers now offer their services.
Fulfilled volunteers became ambassadors and word of mouth promoted the program. To
keep things running smoothly, a toolkit was developed for volunteers and for program
administration.
For the people of Wellington County, one call is all they have to make to find a needed
ride. Depending on their individual circumstances, some agencies require a payment for
the service, while others offer a subsidy based on income. If it does not fall under any
of the collaborators’ mandate, then Wellington Transportation Services does their best to
accommodate requests.
Three major elements contribute to the success of this vital service – the volunteers, the
collaborative spirit between partner agencies, and the critical annual funding from the
County of Wellington.
For more information: http://communitylinks.cioc.ca/record/GUE0185
STORIES OF RURAL INITIATIVES
25
27
How to Reach Rural Populations
• Introduce yourself to other groups and staff providers
• Listen and find out what they are doing
• Augment services – avoid duplication or competition
• Collaborate with partners to deliver the best service
• Consider how you can provide more to a community
• Know your agency’s marketing plan
• Find parents where they already are e.g. classroom for
mature students, women’s baseball registration,
bible study group at a church, Fall Fair
• Be creative when addressing issues of transportation
• Remain open to local priorities or concerns
• Remember it is not about your agenda
• Learn from others and work with them – listen and communicate
• Remember that, whether intended or not, how you are perceived is interpreted
by visible presentation, tone of voice and mannerisms
• Look through the eyes of the people you support – what are the unspoken messages
(interested, concerned, caring or too busy, rushed, not within your mandate)
• Fulfilled volunteers become your ambassadors and word of mouth can be the
best way to promote programs
REMEMBER:
“It can take only one person to recognize a growing need,
reach out and make change.”
– Service Provider
23
www
.farmsafety
.ca
Provides up-to-date health and safety information for Ontario farmers.
www
.fs4jk.or
g
A website about the importance of farm safety for children. It includes activities,
games and worksheets.
www
.childr
ensinfo.ca
A website offering one-window access to information about provincially-funded services
for children, youth and their families in Ontario.
www
.ontario.ca/earlyy
ear
s
Ontario Early Years Centres are located across the province and provide a range
of services for families.
Useful resources and links
28
How to Reach Rural Populations
Documents you may be interested
Documents you may be interested
