Energize! Exploring Innovative Rural Communities Conference was inspired by a similar conference in Nebraska—Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference—both aiming to empower small communities with ideas to uplift their towns.
“We enjoyed the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a rural community throughout the conference, and we left feeling so energized and renewed,” said Peggy Schlechter, South Dakota State University (SDSU) extension community vitality program director. “On the trip home we said we needed to have a conference in that format in South Dakota, and the idea for Energize! was born.”
Kara Harders, SDSU extension community vitality field specialist, explained how the conference empowers small communities to unite and solve issues with solutions proven to work.
“The purpose is idea sharing, networking, and to be energized,” said Harders. “Every small town or smaller community has its own flavor, and they all have their own unique issues, challenges, abilities, and advantages.”


“There’s joys and challenges living in a small town. The more people you know, the more people to build community with, the stronger it makes us all. Hopefully it’s a lot of community building people walk away with.” – kara harders
Anyone in the community is welcome to partake in the conference. Discounted tickets are available to the youth.
“We want everybody interested in their small community to come. If there are young people in the community who want to come, if they think being in local government is going to be for them, or want to hear about what’s going on in other small towns, they are welcome and encouraged to come,” said Harders.
Keynote speakers are chosen to educate attendees on various topics beneficial to communal problem solving and ways to improve their way of life.
“The overall goal is to have people leave with tangible, actionable things to change,” explained Harders. “You want them to leave feeling better about your community and their position in the community.”
The conference takes place for two full days with various breakout sessions led by multiple speakers covering different applicable topics. Along with evening activities, there are many opportunities to network with other individuals in the community, Harders explains.
Last year’s event was May 22 and 23 in Hot Springs.


“A person who comes to Energize! [typically] has problems in their community, hears something that makes them feel empowered to do something to change, and helps direct trajectory for the better.” – kara harders
“The idea is the people who come and listen to presentations will try to do that exact same thing,” she said. “It’s if they hear enough things and they talk to enough people, you can start to build this nebulous success model.”
Breakout sessions last year covered a wide range of ways to engage and benefit small communities, including how to write successful grants, coaching and leading in a small town, marketing to your community, using the arts to build community, creating art councils, and much more. Around 16 local businesses participated to host the breakout sessions.
“The speakers, whether they are the keynote or breakout sessions, are experts on their rural communities,” said Schlechter. “They are people who live, work, and volunteer in the communities, and are able to share their stories.”
The conference focuses on perspectives from small towns, aiding in relatability and relevance to the communities they’re speaking to, Harders adds.
“Last year our keynote speaker was Michael Perry, who wrote Population: 485. It was about how he moved back to his small community. As a writer, he had free time, so he joined the local fire department, volunteered, and did things to give back to the community,” said Harders.



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The conference has been hosted in De Smet, Lemmon, Milbank, Fort Pierre, Wessington Springs, and Hot Springs.
Other past speakers include mayor of Fort Pierre Gloria Hanson, Parkston youth sports coach Bill Maxwell, Kimball business owner Corinne Overweg, Centerville community economic development coordinator Jared Hybertson, mayor of Wessington Springs Brian Bergeleen, and many more.
“In terms of opportunity, the whole is more than the sum of its parts,” said Harders. “Even if somebody were to come to Energize! and they only learned and implemented one thing applicable, it’s going to be worth spending two days to learn when you look at the number of people who benefit over time.”
Connecting communities together in productive ways through idea sharing helps equip individuals with the necessary skills to not only solve issues, but to implement positive change, Harders emphasizes.
“There is tons of really good networking that goes on because you’re in the vicinity of a whole bunch of people who are all in the same bucket of work or interest, even if you don’t work directly in your community in one of those official positions,” said Harders.


“I want [attendees] to go home feeling like they’ve made new connections, they know more people they can lean on and build a closer community while achieving similar goals, and they have people to talk to when they run into problems.”
kara harders
Harders’ goals for the Energize! Conference include providing a diverse topic set with quality keynote speakers, where people participating leave feeling fulfilled and ready to implement new ways to improve their community.
“I hope Energize! continues to connect, inspire, and energize those who work so hard to make their rural communities the best they can be,” said Schlechter. “I also hope rural communities hosting Energize! see they can be a destination for a conference or other event and use what they learn by hosting Energize! to seek those opportunities.”
Save the date for the seventh annual Energize! Exploring Innovative Rural Communities conference May 6-7 in Platte.
For more information, visit EXTENSION.SDSTATE.EDU+