Foothills Forum Wins Over Skeptical Rappahannock County Residents
Foothills Forum, a news nonprofit in Rappahannock County, Virginia, faced initial deep skepticism from the local community. This was due to a cultural divide between longtime residents, often referred to as 'been-here's', and newer arrivals, known as 'come-here's'.
Co-founders Bill Dietel and Larry 'Bud' Meyer spent a year building community support with 75 community individuals and leaders to ease this community skepticism. They conducted a survey and involved the community in the process, which helped Foothills Forum gain community acceptance and trust.
The 'been-here's' are longtime residents, many of them ranchers and farmers, who live quietly and have less-than-kind things to say about the newcomers. The 'come-here's', often retired or getting toward retirement, have second homes and are more socially active and financially well-off. The launch of Foothills Forum was spread over time in a series of meetings, presentations, and op-eds, accompanied by a community forum after each project publication.
Through persistent community engagement and a thoughtful approach, Foothills Forum managed to overcome initial deep community skepticism and gain community acceptance and trust from the local population in Rappahannock County, Virginia.
