What Is the Cost of Not Investing? | Sally Miskavige | TEDxFargo

Key Concepts

• Community Investment: The core idea of actively contributing to the betterment of one's local area.
• Brain Drain: The emigration of skilled and educated individuals from a region, often to larger cities or areas with perceived better opportunities.
• Children's Museum Project: A specific initiative in Grand Forks, North Dakota, aimed at creating a gathering space for families and fostering early childhood development.
• Early Childhood Development: The critical period of development in children up to age 12, where foundational aspects of their personality, curiosity, and potential career paths are shaped.
• Play as Learning: The concept that children's play is a fundamental and powerful method of learning and development.
• Generational Impact: The long-term positive effects of community investments that can benefit future generations.

Community Investment and Combating Brain Drain in North Dakota

The speaker, Sally from Grand Forks, North Dakota, addresses the common perception of her home state as "boring" and a place where people leave for "bigger cities, different opportunities for what they thought was a better life." She expresses a strong personal attachment to North Dakota and a commitment to investing in its communities.

Personal Motivation and Family Legacy

Sally's upbringing was deeply influenced by her family's construction company, OP Construction. She describes the company crew as a surrogate family who supported her throughout her childhood. This strong connection to her community and the people within it was a significant factor in her decision to stay in North Dakota after graduation, rather than moving to Minneapolis. She made it her mission to make OP Construction an exemplary workplace, emphasizing that the principles of running a successful company – investing, improving, and doing good work – are transferable to community development.

The Catalyst for the Children's Museum Project

A pivotal moment that fueled Sally's commitment to community action was the departure of a concrete finisher from OP Construction. His girlfriend left North Dakota for Denver, highlighting the recurring pattern of skilled workers leaving the state. This event, coupled with a conversation with the newly elected mayor of Grand Forks, sparked the idea of a children's museum. Initially, Sally found the idea unconventional, but her neighbors, Dana and Megan Sandy (President of the City Council and on Planning and Zoning), were enthusiastic and offered their support.

Building a Vision: From Idea to Reality

The initial idea of a children's museum quickly evolved into a larger vision. The team began by researching similar projects across the country and in other parts of North Dakota, seeking to understand the motivations behind their creation. This research ignited a passion for creating a space in Grand Forks where families could gather and create memories. The vision expanded to include a multi-generational gathering place, incorporating regional artwork, and even aiming to feature a public Dale Chahulie sculpture, contingent on finding a sponsor. The speaker draws a parallel to the impactful legacy of Ralph Engle and his family, emphasizing how a single vision can create generational change.

The Deeper Significance of the Children's Museum

Sally acknowledges that the project is far more complex than simply building a play space. She emphasizes its role in "shaping futures" and "building community." She highlights the critical developmental window for children up to age 12, during which their curiosity, sense of wonder, and even potential career paths are significantly formed. Waiting until high school to invest in STEM education, for instance, is deemed too late, as the crucial "spark" for learning happens much earlier. The speaker asserts that children's play is the "strongest form of learning" and that projects like the children's museum strengthen both communities and the state.

The Cost of Inaction

Sally directly addresses concerns about the project's cost by arguing that the cost of not undertaking such initiatives is far greater. She poses rhetorical questions about the economic and social toll of:

• Skilled individuals leaving the state.
• Families feeling disconnected or unwelcome.
• The inability to attract new businesses, employees, or visitors.
• The next generation departing from rural communities.

She frames these challenges as common to rural communities nationwide, posing the question of how to create environments where people choose to "stay, grow, and thrive."

The Path Forward: Investment and Choice

While acknowledging that no single project can solve all these issues, Sally presents the children's museum as a crucial "start." The fundamental solution lies in "investing in a vision, investing in our people, our children in spaces that bring us together." She concludes by stating that the future of communities depends on present-day choices, urging listeners to "choose to build, to stay, and to build something worth staying for." The speech ends with a call to action, emphasizing that there is "work to do."