Explore the Community

ROI Connect
Welcome to ROI Connect, the Rural Ontario Institute’s online gathering space. Follow issues that matter to you. Share your ideas. Give feedback. Join the conversation to help shape community projects, policies, programs and services in your community.

 

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Getting Involved

Be Part of the Conversation

Why Engage

You can help build your community by sharing your knowledge, exchanging ideas, and offering feedback.

The exchange of ideas through respectful debate and thoughtful conversations can lead to real improvements in your community. Your collaboration and contributions to the development of projects is key to ensuring change is well-informed and reflects the unique needs of your community. We want to make it easier for you to share ideas, collaborate and have meaningful input on projects that matter to you.

Join the conversation and follow projects that interest you.

How to Engage

The ROI Connect engagement platform brings together people, projects and communities from all across Ontario in one convenient place. It was made for you! To offer a range of ways for you to interact through tools such as surveys, discussion forums, interactive maps, resource libraries, joining a group, leading a group, sharing a project and connecting with other rural folks. Online engagement can be an accessible compliment to in-person activities. For some people, who may not want to or be able to attend in-person engagement activities, ROI Connect can be a convenient alternative.

Sign up now and join the conversation.

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Featured Projects

Everyday stories about everyday lives in rural Ontario

People's Archive of Rural Ontario

People’s Archive of Rural Ontario (PARO) aims to mobilize and amplify rural voices and stories and to contribute to the revitalization of rural Ontario. It was developed to organize, preserve, and make freely accessible the records and voices of rural Ontarians.
Project Lead: PARO

Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies.

Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies

Inspiring and Supporting Ontario Agricultural Societies. The OAAS provides leadership, guidance, education, and resources for its member Agricultural Societies.

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Image of a barn at sunset.

Ontario Barn Preservation

The Ontario Barn Preservation is not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving heritage barns. Heritage barns are not only beautiful pieces of architecture and craftsmanship, they contribute to our rural landscape and as they disappear Ontario’s landscape is permanently changed.

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Featured Community Members

Rural Change Maker Alumna Krystal Brideau

Krystal Brideau

Backyard Ecosystems

Rural Change Maker Morgan Scott

Morgan Scott

Rural Change Maker – Communications Lead

Rural Change Maker Samantha Loney

Samantha Loney

Rural Change Maker – Communications Lead

Rural Change Maker Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards

Rural Change Maker – Paving the Way Project Lead

Get Involved

We share your vision of bringing communities together in active engagement to build meaningful connections, share knowledge and embrace governance practices that embody the heart and needs of communities. Sometimes in community consultations, the loudest voice is heard. We get it. But not here. ROI Connect is a safe, respectful and inclusive online gathering space for meaningful dialogue, learning, mobilization and collaborative community development throughout rural Ontario.

We make community engagement easy! Let your voice be heard. Help shape the future in your community by getting involved in a project that matters to you!

Upcoming Events

Building Community Leaders – Kingston Workshop

Building Community Leaders - Kingston Workshop

Date Jun 21 - 22, 2025Time 8:00 am - 5:00 pmOrganizer Rural Ontario Institute, Ontario Association of Agricultural SocietiesWebsite View Events Website

Each 2-day Building Community Leaders Workshop  – in partnership with the Rural Ontario Institute and Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies, will provide hands-on learning about leadership, governance, risk management practices, and community engagement skil...

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Community Notes

Creating a Group

ROI Connect is an online gathering place that offers rural folks a place to come together and accelerate good ideas, give voice to issues important to them and mobilize change.

This is accomplished through a variety of means including creating or joining a group, community discussion or community project. Through a partnership agreement, project allies and leaders can create community project pages, invite others to join, mobilize around important topics and network within community groups on the site.

 Discussion Ground rules

ROI Connect is a safe, respectful and inclusive online gathering space for all rural Ontarians. Community content is actively monitored by project or group leaders and site administors to ensure respectful, appropriate and inclusive tone. The ground rules are straight forward. Keep it clean. Keep it honest. Keep it accessible. Keep it inclusive. Keep it open.

If you are leading a project in your community and would like to become a project ally please connect with us!

Have a project to share?