Listening in Unama’ki: Rethinking Rural Support

Written by Rowan Helmer for the Rural Matters Blog August 10, 2026

Two weeks ago, RCFNS hit the road to Unama’ki/Cape Breton. The purpose of our visit was to better understand the landscape we work within and the organizations and communities we serve. This trip was a chance for us to listen, learn, and get to know some really inspiring organizations who serve rural communities.  

We met with organizations working across our focus areas of food, land, climate, equity, and community resilience. Unama’ki hosts a huge diversity of work and communities. Despite many differences, we found a lot of commonalities in the groups we met with. What we heard most frequently is that community connections and networks of support are what rural communities need the most. Importantly, these webs are often already established. What people are looking for are ways to keep these networks together.  

The main thing that stood out to us is that support doesn’t always mean writing a cheque. What rural communities actually need is not a grant, but support to turn ideas into sustained action. When organizations and communities say they need “resources,” they don’t always mean money. Often, what is needed is volunteer power, increased capacity, contacts, physical space to work or host events, technology, or skill-sharing.  

So, we’re trying to shift our focus. Instead of asking: “what resources can we bring to rural communities?” we think the better question is actually: “what resources can we help rural communities access, connect, and share, so they can flourish and continue doing what they do best?”.  

This trip highlighted what we already know: rural communities don’t lack ideas, creativity, or motivation to make change. What they need is the right support to lead them toward success. And very often, a cheque doesn’t cut it.