Rural Ontario Institute Introduces 2024 Rural Change Makers
by Bob Montgomery
The Rural Ontario Institute is excited to announce the 2024 young leaders of change who have begun their leadership learning journey together through the Rural Change Makers program.
Rural Change Makers Program Manager Melanie Bidiuk says the program has been running for several years under different names but this is the fourth year under the Rural Change Makers name. She explains the members come together to build leadership skills and rural economic development skills. From there they will identify practical applications of those skills and the creation of SMART action plans framed around their goals for their communities. Each one will come away from the program with a very robust toolkit of leadership and rural community-economic development skills, bringing everything they learn within the program right back home to their communities.
Bidiuk says the 27 Change Makers range in age from 18 to 35 years old and are at various stages in their lives and careers, but all are at the beginning of this leadership experience of change and growth. She says this year more than 35 regional program partners and collectives will be working with the change makers who span South West, Northern and Eastern Ontario and represent over 25 different rural communities, many of which are experiencing aging populations.
“The goal is that they apply this leadership and community development training to build their preferred futures,” says Bidiuk and those are different for each individual. “What we've found is when youth feel like they belong and they're connected to their community and networked with other organizations and leaders in their community, they have an increased sense of belonging and are more likely to stay rural and build their future there.” Bidiuk says it's important that program outcomes are evident in the community immediately and economic development benefits that can be felt in communities through the projects and activities of youth addressing local needs and priorities. More long-term benefits like labour market readiness, career advancement are very important for rural communities to increase rural retention of youth. Rural Ontario needs young leaders and change makers are eager to give back, make a difference and build their futures at home. Our partners are evidence that rural Ontario cares deeply about their youth and the future of their communities.
She says the 2023 change makers had a strong representation of youth from Huron County and many of them launched or grew entrepreneurial pursuits, made career advancements, and started or grew non-profit activities over the course of the program with many doing both.
Over the course of the program Change Makers will participate in a series of developmental and experiential Learning Labs. They will complete community and self-assessments, establish planning committees that inform the program and develop Community Economic Development SMART Action Plans to guide their community projects as they build their preferred futures and create strong rural communities.
You can follow Rural Change Makers’ Journey by going to ROI Connect | Blog – Rural Change Makers.
