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Join us for the 2011 National Rural Assembly in St. Paul, Minnesota, on June 28-30 , 2011.

As in the previous two gatherings of the National Rural Assembly, rural leaders and advocates will work to bring rural issues to the fore, build a stronger voice for rural America, and examine policy solutions that address the opportunities and challenges of America’s 55 million rural residents. The Rural Assembly has identified the following objectives for the 2011 gathering:

• Articulate a message that raises national awareness of rural issues.

• Raise a call to action for members of the National Rural Assembly around the issues identified in the Rural Compact.

• Provide opportunities for action planning on rural policy issues.

• Create opportunities for participants to make connections that will forward their work on rural policy issues.

• Educate policymakers and other leaders on issues prevalent in rural policy.

Is your organization sorting through the Affordable Care Act? Following broadband discussions? Developing a climate change plan? Or encouraging entrepreneurship and wealth creation in your small town? Rural leaders from across the country will come together over a two-day period to discuss these issues and more.

A series of work sessions will provide participants with the opportunity to go deep and build a set of recommendations that will then be carried forward to policymakers by the Rural Assembly in the coming year. Sessions will offer collaboration around topics such as housing, climate change, tribal issues, philanthropy, immigration, the farm bill, youth policy and rural education grants, Social Security, and green jobs. Participants will also hear from key rural leaders and policymakers with insight into the status of rural America in the national policy scene.

The objectives for this gathering include developing a common language and tools for participants to use in framing rural issues powerfully in a national context. Our collective voice can carry the common message that rural America offers innovative solutions for some of the nation’s greatest challenges.

Join us in St. Paul for an opportunity to work with your peers around the issues most important to you and your work for rural America.