SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Residents throughout Windham and Windsor counties are encouraged to attend the upcoming Youth Opportunity Regional Forum on Nov. 14, from 5:30-7 p.m., at the River Valley Tech Center at the Howard Dean Educational Center in Springfield, to think together about how we can improve opportunities for youth in our communities. Free pizza and desserts will be served.
On Nov. 14, youth and adults will come together to answer the questions, “What are the youth opportunity success stories and bright spots today in Vermont?” “What are the current gaps, challenges, and concerns about the ability for our youth to succeed and achieve their ambitions?” “What are your ideas or vision points for how we can best support our youth in achieving career, educational, and life success?” The forum will be co-facilitated by the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD), and a local youth facilitator.
These regional forums, taking place across the state, are a chance for people of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences to come together and share their ideas on a range of topics, including education, job training, community connection, youth voice, mentoring, and more. This input will be combined with ideas gathered from forums across the state, a statewide survey, and stakeholder interviews, and will then be shared with the Future of Vermont Action Team, who will make concrete policy and programmatic recommendations for how Vermont can better support youth in engaging in their communities, participating in the economy of today and the future, and seizing opportunities here in Vermont and beyond.
VCRD community engagement and policy director and initiative lead Jenna Koloski says, “We have the opportunity in Vermont to craft a narrative of hope, aspiration, equity, and potential for all youth around the state. Whether you’re a young person with a vision for the future, or an adult with ideas on how to make a difference, your input is important.”
The Vermont Youth Opportunity Initiative emerged through The Vermont Proposition Initiative, which was coordinated by the Vermont Council on Rural Development in 2021 through input from thousands of Vermonters. A youth opportunity advisory group of statewide leaders and youth members has developed a statewide engagement process to hear from thousands of Vermonters, and then review findings to make action recommendations to the Future of Vermont Action Team, a diverse group of 20 leaders convened and facilitated by VCRD to implement the ten elements of the Vermont Proposition.
To learn more and stay up to date on the progress of the Youth Opportunity Initiative, additional forums, and the Vermont Proposition, join the VCRD Partnership for the Future of Vermont mailing list at lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/IKMkesB, or visit www.futureofvermont.org/youth-opportunity-initiative.