This is VOICES, Stories of Change – a series of podcasts and interviews from Engage nova Scotia.

Fusion Halifax is a network of young professionals committed to fostering opportunities for connection, professional and community development.

On May 18th the group hosted a full house audience for a panel discussion dubbed “How Do I Stay?”.

What follows is an unedited recording from the event.

The event brought together 3 young professionals who shared their experiences living, making a living and choosing to remain living in the city, and the province.

While rural communities sometimes experience more severe or visible signs of out-migration of youth, cities like Halifax also wrestle with the evolving expectations, ambitions and conditions that attract and root young professionals to their home of choice.

Sharing stories like those featured on this panel will continue to be part of the VOICES series as Engage seeks to highlight the emerging new narrative of a changing Nova Scotia.

The first voice you’ll hear is Ali Breen of Fusion, the panel facilitator.

You can learn more about Fusion at fusionhalifax.ca

As you will hear, even on a small panel of three, experiences vary greatly and advice from young Nova Scotians who choose to live and stay in the province is broad and varied.

Is there anything the panelists shared that stood our for you in particular?

Do you have a story you’d like to share, or someone you think Engage should speak to?

Email me at [email protected]

Visit Engage online at engagenovascotia.ca

Follow us on Twitter @EngageNS

You can also find us on Facebok to learn more about our work, and the energy that’s moving communities across the province forward.

Art for this series is by Meghan Rushton.

Visit her website at meghanrushton.com

Songs in this episode are by Rich Aucoin.

You can buy his music on iTunes.

David Stevenson is president of Colchester-Cumberland Wind Farm based in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia.

Just over a decade ago David and a group of residents had a dream to harness the wind to power their community. In this first of a two part series taken from an interview with David at his home in Tatamagouche.

You can learn more about CCWF at CCWF.ca

You can learn more about the Community Economic Development Investment Fund local investmentprogram at CEDIF.ca

Stay tuned for the second part of our interview with David in which he digs deeper into the notion of leadership, the characteristics of a vibrant community and why it’s important for us all to be learning from each other.

VOICES is a project of Engage Nova Scotia where we try and shine a light on Nova Scotians thinking outside the box, engaging their community and planning for a better future.

If you have a story to share please email me at [email protected]

Find Engage on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter at EngageNS

Art in this series is by Meghan Rushton, find her online at meghanrushton.com

Songs by Rich Aucoin. You can buy his music on iTunes.

Throughout Nova Scotia you’ll find – if you look – people like Rob Carver using the resources around them, their imagination and passion to bring communities together.

On a particularly gorgeous, sunny and warm spring day earlier this month I met Rob at his family home on a hill overlooking the ocean to hear about the Lost Shores Grand Fondo, a cycling event in the Italian Tradition. A Big Ride he dreamt up that attracted almost 300 cyclists to the area last fall.

With more than 100 volunteers, bbq’ed ribs, local beer, music, and the support of the municipality, Rob’s created a unique draw for Guysborough. One that promises to grow in it’s second year this fall.

Learn more about Guysborough’s Lost Shores Grand Fondo at lostshoresgranfondo.ca

The event will take place September 9th. Registration is now open.

You can find back episodes at engagenovascotia.ca, on Itunes or by using the Stitcher Radio app.

Do you have a story of engagement, community development and innovation that you’d like to share? Email me at [email protected]

Find Engage on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter @EngageNS

Art for the series by Meghan Rushton meghanrushton.com

Songs by Rich Aucoin, you can buy his music on iTunes,

This the third and final segment taken from an interview with Adele MacDonald, executive director of Annapolis Investments in Rural Opportunity, a private investment company founded by Jane Nicholson.

Annapolis Royal is a vibrant community exhibiting an inspiring sense of optimism, a commitment to volunteerism and collaboration.

What moves people to be actively engaged in their community?

How can cross-sector collaborations change our attitudes about how our various levels of government serve or should serve us?

How can we re-engineer how we volunteer in our community?

Adele shares here insight into these issues and the roles we all have in shaping the future of our communities.

You can learn more about Engage onine at engagenovascotia.ca; follow us on Twitter at EngageNS and find us on Facebook.

We’ll be sharing more stories from different regions of the province in the coming weeks. If you have a story you’d like to share – related to community development, public engagement and collaboration – please email me at jeff (at) engagenovascotia.ca.

Songs in this episode are by Rich Aucoin. You can buy his music on iTunes.

Adele MacDonald is the executive director of AIRO – Annapolis Investments in Rural Opportunity.

AIRO is private investment company founded by Jane Nicholson, funded with her own money, committed to fostering growth in the Town of Annapolis Royal and surrounding rural communities in the area.

Today, March 28, 2017 AIRO released a report entitled Local Logic: How to get there from here.

This report ties together survey and interview results gathered by AIRO during the summer of 2016.

In this second part of a three part series, Adele walks us through this report, challenges and opportunities identified by residents, and recommendations on what they think needs to be done to create a sustainable future for their region.

To learn more about AIR and read the Local Logic Report, visit them online at www.ruralopportunity.com.

Find us online at www.engagenovascotia.ca, Follow us on Twitter @EngageNS, and connect with us on Twitter to follow these stories of change from regions throughout province.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Email me at jeff (at) engagenovascotia.ca

Songs in this episode is from Rich Aucoin. You can buy his music on iTunes or by visiting his website at www.richaucoin.com

Adele MacDonald is the Executive Director of Annapolis Investment in Rural Opportunities, or AIRO for short.

Founded by Jane Nicholson, AIRO’s approach to cultivating partnerships, fostering collaboration is innovating away from traditional ways of thinking about the potential of private investment.

This is the first in a three-part series taken from a recorded interview with Adele in the AIRO offices, located in a designated heritage train station along the old rail-bed in Annapolis Royal - the building is an award-winning heritage restoration project led by Jane.

Learn more:

Engage Nova Scotiahttp://www.engagenovascotia.ca/

AIRO ruralopportunity.com/

Rich Aucoinhttp://richaucoin.ca/