KENT, Conn.—Kent News, Inc., the nonprofit publishing company of The Kent Dispatch, will participate in this year’s annual Radically Rural Summit in New Hampshire.
Kent News President Andrea Schoeny will be one of the guest panelists sharing her experience of coming to community journalism from a non-journalism background.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us to connect with leaders in communities similar to Kent,” Schoeny said. “We can share our experiences, learn from one another, and bring back valuable insights as the Kent Dispatch grows.”
“I was in a Zoom meeting with other Rural News Network newsrooms. I mentioned being an occupational therapist—not a journalist—and RNN director Alana Rocha immediately got me in touch with Radically Rural. I interviewed with their team, and they invited me to be part of the panel.”
“I think this is important for other communities to know,” Schoeny continued. “You don’t have to be a reporter to make an impact in community journalism. You just have to be a tenacious problem-solver.”
Radically Rural (RR) is a grassroots movement “that aims to amplify collective rural impact by connecting folks with each other and with ideas,” according to its website.
The movement offers year-round virtual roundtables and other activities for rural leaders and an October RR national summit in Keane, N.H., that further brings leaders together to share ideas and collaborate. The summit will run Oct. 7-9.
This year’s RR summit theme is rural resonance and will explore “the inherent interdependence that makes all life possible,” according to movement organizers.
“No one community, sector, or species can thrive in isolation. Rather, we resonate–each strengthened by the whole,” they said.
Schoeny is one of three panelists who will discuss her role as a founder of Kent News, Inc., and its online publication, the Kent Dispatch, and her continued volunteerism in the industry.
Radically Rural consists of seven tracks, one of which is community journalism. Each track offers strategic opportunities for transformation in rural communities.
Other tracks are arts and culture, clean energy, entrepreneurship, all in for health, land and community, and Main Street.
