Beyond the Desk: Learning Community Development
Written by Sofia MacMichael for the Rural Matters Blog August 21, 2026
What I Learned This Summer with RCFNS: Community, Connection, and the Work of Listening
When I started my summer with the Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia (RCFNS), I expected to learn about community development, rural organizations, and the work involved in supporting communities across Nova Scotia. What I did not fully anticipate was just how much of that learning would happen through conversations, road trips, community events, and coffee chats. As a young person interested in sustainability, conservation, and environmental work, I saw this summer as an opportunity to get my foot in the door in the non-profit sector and to see what this kind of work looks like outside a classroom or laboratory. Looking back, my biggest takeaway is that community development is fundamentally about relationships. It is about understanding what people are already doing, recognizing gaps, connecting people who could help one another, and ensuring that communities have the space and resources to lead their own solutions.
Starting with curiosity
A big part of my summer involved learning about organizations across Colchester, Cumberland, Pictou, and surrounding rural communities. I spent a lot of time researching organizations, building contact lists, conducting pulse checks, and reaching out to people working in areas ranging from food security and education to environmental conservation, recreation, climate change, and community development.
At first, it was easy to think of this work as simply creating lists and making contacts. But the more conversations I had, the more I realized that every organization represented a much bigger story.
A community garden can be about food security, social connection, and local capacity; a watershed organization can connect climate adaptation, biodiversity, education, and community resilience; and a local agricultural initiative can bring together land stewardship, food systems, economic development, and the future of rural communities. The boundaries between these issues are much less clear than they appear on paper, and all of these projects demonstrate different approaches to creating long-term, community-led solutions. Rather than simply responding to one problem at a time, organizations are building the proper foundations that can continue to benefit their communities over time.
These conversations also reinforced something important about RCFNS: sometimes the most valuable thing we can do is listen first. Not every conversation needs to end with a funding opportunity or a specific next step; sometimes, building trust and understanding what someone is working toward is the most important first step.
Local Prosperity Festival
One of the biggest highlights of my summer was being involved in the Local Prosperity Festival in Tatamagouche. Being part of the festival gave me a completely different perspective on the work I had been doing behind a computer. Instead of researching organizations and reading about community initiatives, I was suddenly surrounded by the people actually doing that work.
The festival brought together people working across different areas of sustainability and community development. I was able to hear presentations, meet community organizations, help with logistics, and have countless informal conversations throughout the event.
What stood out to me was how interconnected everyone's work was. People were coming from different perspectives, but many of the conversations came back to similar ideas: community resilience, and the importance of keeping rural communities connected and vibrant.
Overall, the festival went extremely well. Everyone involved was incredibly welcoming, and the team worked really well together. The presentations went smoothly and created lots of opportunities to hear from people doing meaningful work in their communities. More importantly, I left with a long list of people I would love to continue conversations with.
Parrsboro: Seeing community work up close
My visit to Parrsboro, alongside our executive director Erika, was another major highlight of my summer. There is something different about visiting a community in person. Research can tell you what an organization does, but being there allows you to understand the context around that work.
During the visit, I had the opportunity to meet with community organizations and learn more about what was happening locally. We talked about community development, tourism, culture, food, environmental stewardship, and the challenges and opportunities facing rural communities.
What stood out to me was how interconnected everything was. The organizations we met with were not operating in isolation. They were part of a larger community ecosystem, and their work often overlapped with that of other organizations. A conversation with one person could lead to another introduction, which could lead to a completely different idea or partnership.
That experience reinforced the importance of showing up. An email can start a relationship, but being willing to travel to a community, sit down with people, and listen to what they have to say can create a much stronger foundation. It also made me appreciate how much I enjoyed the relationship-building side of this work. As someone just beginning to explore the non-profit and sustainability sector, I found that experiencing this firsthand was incredibly valuable.
Seeing RCFNS as a connector
The biggest shift in my thinking this summer was understanding RCFNS's role as more than a funder. I came to see the organization as a connector, listener, supporter, and relationship-builder. Sometimes that means helping an organization find funding. Sometimes it means introducing two people who should know each other. Sometimes it means bringing organizations into the same room. Sometimes it means sharing someone's story. And sometimes it simply means listening and making sure someone knows that their work matters.
RCFNS does not need to arrive with all of the answers. It can help create the conditions for communities to connect, learn from one another, and build on what they already know.
What I learned about myself
As someone still early in my career, I also saw this summer as a chance to figure out what kinds of work I actually enjoy.
I came into the summer with an interest in environmental issues, conservation, and sustainability. I am leaving with a much better understanding of how those interests can connect to non-profit work and community development.
I really enjoyed being able to research an organization one day, speak with someone from that organization the next, and then think about how that relationship could fit into a much larger regional picture. My academic background has given me an interest in understanding environmental systems, but RCFNS showed me how those systems connect to people and communities.
This experience has given me a much clearer sense of what it means to work in sustainability outside an academic setting, and I am grateful for the chance to get my foot in the door.
Looking ahead
As my summer with RCFNS comes to an end, I am leaving with a long list of people I hope to stay connected with, organizations I hope RCFNS will continue to engage with, and ideas I hope to continue developing. There are relationships to follow up on, connections that could grow into future partnerships, and I am grateful to have been part of that process.
Thank you to everyone at RCFNS who made me feel welcome and trusted me with the opportunity to learn, contribute, ask questions, reach out, attend events, meet communities, and get involved in the work. And thank you to everyone who took the time to speak with me this summer. I came into this summer wanting to learn about rural community development and get my foot in the door in sustainability-focused non-profit work. I am leaving with a much better understanding of what that work looks like and a lot of excitement about where it could take me next.