Rural Youth Workforce Readiness and Community Connections
Principal Investigator: Mindy Crandall (UMaine, School of Forest Resources)
Partners: Jessica Leahy, UMaine School of Forest Resources; Nicole Gayer Bernsen, UMaine School of Forest Resources, Dawna Blackstone, Appalachian Mountain Club; Barbara Baker, Cooperative Extension
Abstract: This project focuses on rural youth in forest-based communities in Piscataquis and northern Somerset Counties, two areas with economic challenges and some schools on the edge of viability as a result of declines in school-age populations. To better understand youth attachment to community and inform local educational program development that can better meet youth needs, we will bring together local government agency representatives, school officials, non-profit organizations, along with rural youth themselves, to participate in listening sessions focused on the needs and future of rural youth. This follows an approach used in rural New Hampshire which garnered much publicity, informed rural policy, and helped community and economic development specialists respond to rural youth voices. In addition, we will use social media to elicit more in-depth characterizations of sense of place and community attachments in rural youth.