Working from a Distance

Abstract

In putting forward the idea that working from a distance constitutes a major plank of rural community work strategy, we are aware that we tread on thin ice. Some experienced practitioners in particular have alerted us to the danger of treating rural communities very superficially. Arguably many people in rural areas are more curious about outsiders than their urban counterparts, not simply in the sense of knowing who someone is but also because they wish to understand him or her. Thus for rural agencies to stand off, as it were, from rural communities risks missing the point.