1. RURAL VOICES NETWORK (RVN)
Innovative Trails to boost rural civic engagement
www.ruralvoicesnetwork.ca info@ruralvoicesnetwork.ca
NEWS RELEASE
RURAL VOICES NETWORK LAUNCHES THE ‘LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD’
SURVEY FOR RURAL ONTARIO
Guelph (ON) February 15, 2012 – Your Voice is important to rural Ontario! This truth is the basis for the
participant driven survey distributed to over 10,000 rural residents in Ontario. The Rural Voices Network
(RVN) launched the ‘Let Your Voice Be Heard’ Survey today to examine what enables rural citizens to
participate in the common life of their community, and to identify barriers to rural civic engagement.
“Rural community members are the grassroots of rural Ontario. Their voice, knowledge and experiences
are the real testimony in trying to understand how to boost rural civic engagement. The importance of
factoring in the rural voice, and grassroots understanding to the issues and needs of rural citizens is key to
developing collaborative solutions,” says Lynn Ruigrok, Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario (FWIO)
Executive Director.
The RVN Survey was developed through dialogue with over 140 rural participants in the 7 RVN Public
Forums that happened across Ontario, from November 2011 to January 2012. The survey is available
online at www.ruralvoicesnetwork.com Hard-copy surveys will be mailed within a week, across the
Province through Women’s Institute (WI) Branches. You can search for a local WI Branch near you at
www.fwio.on.ca or those rural citizens that would prefer to receive a paper copy of the survey can call, or
email the FWIO Provincial Office at 519-836-3078 or info@ruralvoicesnetwork.ca
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The Online Survey will be available until March 16 , 2012, and all hard-copy surveys must be received
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at the FWIO Office no later than March 23 , 2012 (7382 Wellington Road 30, RR 5, Guelph, ON N1H 6J2).
All participants have a chance to win prizes such as a Digital Camera, Kobo Readers, gift cards from
Shopper’s Drug Mart and Tim Horton’s (‘no purchase necessary’).
The RVN project report and recommendations that emerge from these activities will enhance the work of
rural volunteer organizations, and represent the voices of rural citizens. The data collected from the
Survey will be key influences in a research and civic engagement report of rural communities across
Ontario. The final report and community bulletins/posters will be released at the end of June 2012.
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ABOUT THE RURAL VOICES NETWORK (RVN):
The Rural Voices Network is driven by the mandate to give rural citizens a space to have their voices
heard, and to collaborate with non-profit organizations and leaders in all levels of governance.
Operated by the Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario /
Sponsored by the Ontario Trillium Foundation
MEDIA CONTACT:
Manon Germain, Project Manager
Rural Voices Network (RVN)
P: 519-836-3078 E: manong@ruralvoicesnetwork.ca
www.ruralvoicesnetwork.ca
7382 Wellington Road 30 * RR 5, Guelph, ON, N1H 6J2 * Ph: (519) 836-3078 * Fax: (519) 836-9456 * www.fwio.on.ca
Operated by Communicate * Collaborate * Community Sponsored by