Thriving communities don’t just happen. They grow from everyday interactions, shared spaces, and opportunities for people to feel connected.
Research from the Rural MO Stories project shows how belonging is a key ingredient for thriving communities. Belonging helps residents feel welcomed, valued, and connected to others. Belonging aids in being able to contribute and take part in community life and decision-making. Plus, belonging leads to the social relationships, networks, and trust needed to thrive in your community.
In other words, people stay in places where they feel welcomed, useful, and included.
These findings align with national research from the Trust for Civic Life survey. That survey connects strong social ties with higher levels of civic action. Actions like volunteering, attending public meetings, and other ways of engaging in the community.
Creating belonging, trust, and strong relationships takes time. But doing so is an important part of helping people get involved, growing new leaders, and handling challenges.
When belonging grows, communities become stronger, safer, and more resilient. This guide highlights three strategies that communities can use to strengthen belonging and build social infrastructure. Although grounded in rural experiences, these strategies can be adapted for any sized Missouri community.
Three strategies to build belonging in rural Missouri
Strategy 1: Discover what residents value and how they want to solve challenges together
A strong sense of belonging begins with understanding the lived experiences of community members. In the Rural MO Stories project, participants shared assets they valued in their communities. Assets they mentioned included open space, quiet, slower pace, strong social ties, and access to natural resources. Residents also voiced frustrations about community challenges and the lack of opportunities for all residents.
Having intentional conversations with residents of different ages, backgrounds and neighborhoods helps show what people share and how the community can improve.
Time spent listening and learning can help communities find:
- Common ground, Local assets and strengths,
- Previously unseen skills and resources,
- The range of resident experiences,
- People eager to contribute or lead, and
- New ideas for solving challenges together.
These conversations can start with a casual chat over coffee, during school events, or at a local cafe. Simple questions open the door to deeper insight and connection.
Ask questions like:
- “What do you love about your community?”
- “What else could our community do to thrive?”
- “How could you see yourself helping?"
One resident in the Rural MO Stories project reflected on the sense of purpose they found in small-town life: "I like living here because I'm active.... I tell people all the time, if I lived in [a big city] I think I'd be bored. And I know there's a lot of things to do, places to go, but I like being involved in community type work.... Plus I feel like I'm more of an asset here [in my rural town] than I would be in [a big city]."
These kinds of reflections reveal a powerful truth: when residents feel seen and valued, their desire to take part deepens.
Belonging is not just an emotional experience-it can spark civic engagement. Communities that listen well often see more residents volunteer, attend meetings, join groups, and take small actions that make the community better.
Intentional listening helps communities move from assumptions to understanding. When local leaders find shared values, notice hidden strengths, and listen to many different experiences, they can plan initiatives and activities that help residents feel connected and able to help.
Putting Strategy 1 into practice: Asset Mapping
An asset map is a simple tool that visualizes the strengths and resources in a place. Information learned during these conversations can help your community create an asset map.
Asset maps can help to change a community conversation from only focusing on what is wrong to recognizing what is already working well. This template can help you get started. Use asset mapping to:
- Find community strengths or resources when a new initiative starts,
- Learn about individual talents and skills to use when working together,
- Discover overlooked partners and volunteers,
- Reveal assets like natural resources, institutions, traditions, or funding that a community can use to solve challenges,
- Match community change strategies to the local context, and
- Build trust among residents and collaborators.
After creating the asset map, it is important to take the time to review the content and imagine the possibilities that exist by matching assets in new and interesting ways.
Strategy 2: Create welcoming and inclusive pathways for participation
Rural residents in the study often said they valued their community's sense of connection and willingness to support one another during tough times. However, not everyone experienced the same level of welcome or support.
In every place studied, residents also shared that close-knit networks could make it harder to belong for newcomers, youth or marginalized community members. Whether intended or not, the way community opportunities are designed and promoted can exclude people from taking part or feeling connected.
Participants shared when they felt belonging or when they did not. One newcomer described it this way: "You're not one of them, if their dads don't know your dads, their grandpas didn't know your grandpas.... It takes you years before they'll even do business with you."
While strong social ties are often cited as a core rural value, communities must purposely welcome and include all residents so they don't feel left out and can build real connections.
One young professional shared a positive example of how her community supported and included youth in local civic life. She said her confidence grew through participation in community organizations as a middle school student: "Having the backing of your entire community ... you're like, I can do it because my community believes in me."
Communities can create more welcoming occasions where all residents can connect and engage. Local governments can use strategies to encourage participation in public meetings. Nonprofits can build leadership succession plans that value youth and new residents. Schools can host events that intentionally welcome neighbors, businesses, and families. Communities can also ask residents directly about their experiences and ideas for strengthening belonging.
Putting Strategy 2 into practice: Photovoice
Photovoice is a method that empowers residents to document their experiences through photographs and stories. It helps communities "see through each other's eyes" and brings attention to strengths and challenges that may be invisible to traditional leaders.
A simple Photovoice process has:
- Set your framing question and who you will invite.
Ask residents to take a photo that shows how the community helps people feel they belong here, or what the community does well to support volunteers. - Write captions for each photo.
Have participants write a short caption or description for each photo that explains why they took the photo and what it means to them. - Have a small group share photos and discuss the experience.
This can lead to rich conversations among participants. - Consider hosting a public photo display.
Show this display at a town hall meeting, in a public space, or through print or digital media. Think about ways the photos can help the community have a conversation.
Photovoice can help us understand differences in experiences across the community and lead to discussions about alternative solutions. Photovoice is especially useful for surfacing experiences from groups who may feel unseen or unheard.
Strategy 3: Build and strengthen third spaces where relationships naturally grow
Belonging does not happen only in formal meetings. Third spaces are informal gathering places where people interact outside of home (first space) and work (second space). These could include coffee shops, libraries, playgrounds, diners, farmers markets and community centers.
Rural MO Stories participants shared examples of how these spaces help them connect with neighbors, find resources, and contribute to community life.
One participant shared, "The old coffee shop has been a gathering place for locals and tourists for over 50 years. The men come for coffee and visiting as soon as the doors open at 6 a.m. The women fall in about an hour or so later.... The bonds created over coffee in this tiny cafe have been important to our small county in ways that are greater than they seem."
Local libraries can be a key asset in rural communities for meeting people through book clubs, children's story hours, and book displays. Many participants said they valued how libraries worked to reach all residents.
Others shared times when they felt excluded because of their political, religious, or social beliefs. Creating welcoming spaces can sometimes spark difficult conversations in communities.
Newcomers can struggle to find their place in rural areas where residents have deep family networks. In these situations, third spaces become important entry points for meeting people and building relationships around shared interests.
One participant reflected after moving to a new town: "Why am I staying here? I wasn't having the best time-there wasn't anything to go do. There's nothing to do other than hang out with your friends. It takes time to form those friendships.... so probably the first couple years I was up here, it was,'Do I really want to stay?'"
Hosting a pop-up gathering in a neighborhood, organizing a park clean-up, or holding a welcome coffee at a local diner are ways communities can use third spaces to help residents gather and connect.
Putting Strategy 3 into practice: New neighbor nights
A New Neighbor Night brings new and longtime residents together to learn about local groups, volunteer opportunities, businesses, community resources, and ways to connect over shared interests.
Steps to hosting a new neighbor night:
- Setting up a resource fair can be as simple as finding a welcoming community space.
- Invite churches, clubs, schools, and local businesses to set up resource tables.
- Hosting organizations can bring snacks and provide name tags for everyone.
- Invite partners to bring brochures, flyers, and business cards to share.
- Consider connecting with realtors to invite their recent buyers, schools to invite new families, and the city to invite new utility customers.
- Encourage participating churches, non-profits and local leaders to attend and connect with new residents.
Creating simple ways for people to gather informally is an important part of building belonging. One example: a new resident met the arts council and later began teaching art classes, expanding community offerings, and strengthening connections.
Conclusion: Stronger belonging builds stronger communities
Across Missouri, rural residents shared stories highlighting three consistent pillars of belonging.
- Feeling connected to others through shared values and community strengths.
- Feeling welcomed and included in community life and decision-making.
- Having spaces to meet, gather, and form relationships.
Building relationships and helping people feel they belong helps communities to grow networks among all residents. Doing so creates opportunities for community support, increases connection, and encourages people to help their town thrive.
Explore more extension programs
- Neighboring 101 - Tools to build everyday neighbor connections.
- Engaged Neighbor Program - Training and resources for resident-led action.
- Difficult Dialogues / Community Conversations - Facilitation support for challenging topics.
Glossary of key terms
Access to opportunities
Whether people can easily participate in jobs, programs, or activities.
Asset mapping
Listing and organizing community strengths and resources.
Belonging
Feeling welcomed, valued, and comfortable being part of a place and its people.
Collaborators
People or groups working together.
Community assets
Skills, places, and resources that already exist in a community.
Civic engagement
People taking part in local activities, decisions, and helping their town or neighborhood.
Connection
Knowing people and feeling part of a group.
Inclusive / inclusion
Making sure everyone feels invited and able to participate.
Intentional conversations
Planned discussions meant to help people understand each other.
Leadership development
Helping people gain skills and confidence to guide or organize others.
Local context
The unique situation, history, and culture of a place.
Marginalized community members
Individuals or groups who are often excluded from community decision-making or opportunities.
Photovoice
Residents take photos of their community and explain them to share their experiences.
Public meetings
Gatherings where residents discuss community decisions.
Resource fair
An event where organizations share information about services and activities.
Shared values
Things people in a community agree are important.
Social infrastructure
The people, places, and relationships that help a community stay connected.
Social ties
Relationships between people who know and trust each other.
Succession planning
Preparing new people to take leadership roles later.
Third spaces
Informal gathering places outside home and work (coffee shops, parks, libraries).
References
American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Habits of Heart and Mind: How to Fortify Civic Culture (Cambridge, Mass.: American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2024).
Burton, David. 2026. "Third Spaces and Places." University of Missouri Extension publication.
Catalani C,Minkler M. (2010) "Photovoice: a review of the literature in health and public health:' Health Educ Behav. 37(3):424-51. doi: 10.1177/1090198109342084. Epub 2009 Oct 1. PMID: 19797541.
Flora, C. B., Emery, M., Fey, S., & Bregendahl, C. (2005)."Community capitals: A tool for evaluating strategic interventions and projects:' Ames, IA: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development. Retrieved on February 27, 2007.
King, Audrey, Reasner, Laney, and Sewell, Jaelyn. (2025). "Using Photovoice as a Community Engagement Tool." Ohio State University Extension. Accessed Dec 2025.
Kretzmann, J. P.,& McKnight, J. L. (1993). Building communities from theinside out: A path toward finding and mobilizing community assets. ACTA Publications.
Trust for Civic Life. April 2025. "Action over Dialogue: The Case for Prioritizing Local Civic Engagement:' 2024 Community Survey Report published by Johns Hopkins Stavros Niarchos Foundation/SNF Agora Institute. Accessed at trustforciviclife.org.