Nominate Young Leaders to Attend the Rural Youth Summit

This spring, the Rural Assembly will hold a Rural Youth Summit in McAllen, Texas, to discuss the issues young people consider important. The orgaization will fund the the event, including expenses for attendees, and bring fifty people between the ages of 16 - 24 together; apply now or nominate some one you think should attend. Nominations and applications are due by January 31st.

What is the Rural Assembly Youth Summit?

The event is scheduled for April 2 - 5, 2020, and the aim is to bring together a diverse group of young people from rural regions. The Rural Assembly wants to encourage discussions about rural geographies and identities, including income, race, culture, faith, accessibility, gender, and sexual orientation. Young people in rural areas face different challenges than those in other communities and the goal is to bring them together to explore ways to address the issues and create national rural policies to address those challenges.

Who Should Attend?

The Rural Assembly will cover travel, lodging, and food for all participants in the 2020 Rural Youth Assembly. Here's who they hope will attend:

The Rural Assembly is seeking young people who are interested in rural and Native issues and invested in strengthening their communities. We look for individuals who are willing to engage in respectful and sometimes challenging conversations, and are committed to finding common ground to create solutions. Most importantly, we seek participants who are excited and enthusiastic about making an impact in their local communities.

If you know some one who you'd like to nominate, the Rural Assembly suggests they be "mature and thoughtful leaders" age 16 - 24 with:

  • The flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances on the service project site or within the schedule.
  • The patience to listen to other points of view and to appreciate different personalities.
  • The humility required to admit how little one knows and to be open to learning an unfamiliar point of view.
  • The ability to follow through on commitments by coming prepared and returning back home willing to share what they’ve learned with others.
  • Enthusiasm in their presence, attitude and actions.
  • The commitment to strengthen their community and look out for those around them.
  • An existing interest and commitment to work on rural and Native issues at a local, state, or national, international level, or a passion for other forms of service, community leadership, arts and media, writing, policy and government, or particular issue areas such as climate, immigration, justice reform, healthcare, housing, human rights across race, gender, accessibility, identity.

Read more about the nomination and application process and download the PDF here.

The Rural Assembly

The Rural Assembly has brought together people and organizations from around the country since 2007, including government officials, business and nonprofit leaders, and grassroots organizers. The Assembly is a program from the Center for Rural Strategies, and is focused on building an inclusive nation.

The Rural Broadband Policy Group and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance have collaborated to develop and advance thoughtful and realistic broadband policy with local control and ownership as the centerpiece.

As the Rural Youth Assembly agenda takes shape, you can check it out here.