A ‘canvas of creativity’ in small-town Minnesota

Benya Kraus reported she s ready to fill big shoes Her predecessor as president and CEO of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation SMIF Tim Penny led the organization for years Political observers may know him better as a former congressman and gubernatorial candidate Kraus who took the helm at SMIF in June shares deep roots in southern Minnesota with Penny Her family has ties to Waseca dating back six generations But she was born and grew up in Bangkok Thailand giving her both a rural American and international background She moved to Waseca in after co-founding Lead For America a nonprofit promoting young leadership opportunities in rural communities At SMIF one of six initiative foundations in Minnesota she oversees grants business loans and more programs available to Greater Minnesotans Kraus just now hit the road with Penny for a tour of cities in SMIF s region She talked with MinnPost about her new role during a stop in Montgomery The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity MinnPost At your meeting with Montgomery locality members on July you described yourself as both a newcomer and native to Minnesota Can you expand on that Benya Kraus I have this gift of having six generations of roots in Minnesota but I grew up abroad So as a newcomer I was learning Minnesota tradition and means and simultaneously knowing that that values has shaped me because it has shaped my family As I think about this region our ability to thrive into the future is how we embrace that mix of old and new native and newcomer and see one another not as different but as partners in preserving reinventing and being creative about what makes southern Minnesota so great MP Greater Minnesota has had a trend of young people moving out of small towns to seek employment in bigger cities You did the opposite moving to Waseca in Why was that and what did you learn in the process Kraus Growing up we moved around quite a bit I felt almost this pride that I belonged nowhere because I belong everywhere And while I do think this ability to know and feel excited and a part of different cultures is a great thing I think you can genuinely do that better when you primarily also feel a sense of belonging somewhere When I thought about what a life of deep meaning looked like it wasn t just a place where I could choose the things I liked and curate the sort of life that s all about my preferences but veritably be the place that has this canvas of creativity that expected something of me where I can t be anonymous I m part of something and in a society that requires my participation MP What should rural areas be doing to retain and attract young people Kraus We talked about it a lot here currently You have to feel like you belong first and that you re included in the decisions that are also shaping the future of your place So I think towns that have been able to attract young people it s because while they ve been growing up they ve had the sense of practicing those civic habits The future of those towns is being shaped even while you are in grade school high school by your participation Instead of just living through your childhood and adolescence and saying the adults are going to take care of it I think being able to integrate students and young people into decision making is a key ingredient We all want to feel reflected in our places Benya Kraus the new president and CEO of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation greets population members at LaNette s Coffee Shop in Montgomery during a road trip of southern Minnesota Credit Ellen Schmidt MinnPost CatchLight Local Statement for America MP From your tour of cities in southern Minnesota what are the preponderance pressing issues you re hearing about Kraus I do think there is this big demographic shift of Baby Boomers retiring and with it the feasible of losing an entire generation of small businesses We really need to be proactive in addressing it That s both preparing our businesses for that transition but also building the bench of leaders who see opportunities I also have been hearing about how we can reenergize this sense of civic and giving habits in our region We ve got to get creative in that MP You stepped into a position held by a well-known former congressman who led SMIF for nearly two decades How has the transition been going as you two tour the region together Kraus I certainly know I have big shoes to fill Fortunately Tim and I have very different shoe sizes and shoe styles I ve really appreciated these road trips together We re spending a lot of time in the car and I get the gift of being able to hear the stories of people that shaped him and shaped the region so I can carry a deep appreciation of the relationships he s built He s been very generous about passing on those lessons and relationships to me and preparing me and the region Even though we have very different lived experiences we share a lot of the same philosophies of provision and localism and seeing local problems in the full complexity and realness that they demand as opposed to seeing it through any ideological or predetermined lens The post A canvas of creativity in small-town Minnesota appeared first on MinnPost