Explore the Community
ROI Connect
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.
community
Featured Projects
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
2021 Rural Change Makers
Up to 30 motivated young adults, between the ages of 18-29, have been selected from across Ontario to mobilize action around issues important to their communities. As a group, these leaders will come together for a one of a kind experiential learning journey, which will support them to take action on a challenge in their community.
Project Lead: Sampoorna Bhattacharya
Rural Housing Information System
The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI), Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) and IT firm, Itergy, are partnering to address a housing shortfall in Eastern Ontario through the creation of an innovative digital tool that will support municipalities in the planning and construction of new affordable housing
Project Lead: ROI Staff
Featured Community Members
Karli Longthorne
PARO Project Coordinator
Behnaz Bahrefar
Project Planner and Data Researcher
Phyllis Agyemang
Change Maker & YRR Ambassador
Ivan Costantino
Change Maker, YRR Ambassador
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
PARO Anniversary Event
Join PARO for their first annual celebration of the People’s Archive of Rural Ontario (PARO) website celebrating rural Ontario experiences, voices and stories!
RSVP Here:Â www.ruralontario.org/events
Monday, November 29, 2022 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm
OFA Annual General Meeting
Join ROI at the OFA 2022 Annual General Meeting!
The annual meeting offers members an opportunity to participate in engaged discussions on key issues and priorities impacting Ontario’s agriculture industry and rural communities.
November 21-22 8:00 am – noon at RBC Place London.
Learn
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 parternship 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!
