Lessons from the Field: Rural & Indigenous Leadership for Opportunity Youth

As a rural-focused program working out of Washington, DC, the pandemic has allowed Aspen CSG to convene people from across the country more easily through webinar calls but requires more intentionality to travel and see people “in community.”

Therefore, I was excited to be able to attend the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions fall convening in Arizona and New Mexico in early November. These visits were centered around activities and program lessons around opportunity youth (young people not in school or working). A common theme centered around leadership — an area Aspen CSG will be exploring more in the spring.

It was a really valuable experience to visit the Hopi Reservation and learn about the Hopi Foundation’s innovative work on their reservation in northern Arizona and the Pueblo of Jemez in New Mexico.

The Hopi Foundation is one of the first community foundations centered and focused on a Native reservation. Their innovative work with their community, and particularly their young people, is a model for other funders to study. 

The Pueblo of Jemez was one of the first places in the country to secure charter school funding. It was able to include cultural and native language programming in the school curriculum (and later secured funding for a charter high school).

This experience highlighted several takeaways valuable for equitable rural development — and Native nations and Indigenous communities in particular:

Both communities were very centered on the importance of youth to their community’s present and future. Most leadership programs for youth and adults are oriented toward those who demonstrate the highest achievements or success. This approach typically misses most young people who live in poverty or face difficult home situations or struggling communities. Seeing the value of all young people as potential future leaders is a significant asset for communities.

Supporting and re-engaging Opportunity Youth offers a two-fold impact. The focus on opportunity youth highlights the value of not ignoring or writing off young people who have struggled. These young people don’t get lost from their community (which is a significant loss of potential in rural and native communities), and their leadership can positively impact peers and other community members navigating similar challenges.

Guidance and support from leaders and mentors are vital. Standing with them, supporting, and valuing them is really important for youth who may not experience that kind of validation in other areas of their lives. Community and Indigenous leaders have made it a priority to use their time and energy to invest in and support these young people. 

It’s critical to center the work in the community’s priorities and what is best for opportunity youth. These communities centered their work on their culture and traditions while giving these young people chances to grow and learn (especially outside the community). This balance is critical as Native nations and Indigenous communities have a long history of other cultures being imposed on them while their own culture was stripped away. 

Rural and Indigenous communities need the flexibility and trust to direct their strategies and priorities for progress. Moving away from a rural place can sometimes feel like a betrayal or the only path to success. They can also be places where young people are not welcomed back into leadership with new ideas. The two communities I visited invest in their young leaders and encourage them to explore and find their own path while also surrounding them with the community’s culture and space to return and share what they have learned.


Stay up-to-date with Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group and our work by signing up for our newsletter. Learn more about the Opportunity Youth Forum and my Aspen Forum for Community Solutions colleagues’ great work here

Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group
Latest From Aspen CSG
publications
Mapping a New Terrain: Call to Action

As new rural outdoor recreation economies take root, we can meet this moment by improving how we do outdoor recreation development to better support rural families, businesses, and workers, create more sustainable and equitable economic systems, and improve local health and wellbeing.

publications
Building Trust and Visibility Through Community-Based Participatory Research at Rural Minority-Serving Institutions

This research brief explores how rural MSIs and approaches to community-based participatory research can be used to better understand MSIs’ nature and practices.

event
Growing Rural Equitable Outdoor Recreation Economies

Jun. 9th, 2023, 1PM

How is your community using outdoor recreation to grow sustainable, healthy livelihoods for families and new economic futures for your region?

tools
2023 County Health Rankings

County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) brings actionable data, evidence, guidance and stories to support community-led efforts to grow community...

publications
Using Networks To Build Collaborative And Equitable Food Systems

This brief focuses on local food systems as vehicles for collaboration and racial equity among multiple stakeholders and networks.

media
Rural Community College Excellence

A new report by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program identifies four pathways that the best rural and Tribal community colleges use to capitalize on strengths and overcome challenges to achieve student success.

media
Toward Better Rural Futures

ChangeLab Solutions' new blog series highlights key learnings from their most recent rural project, Toward Better Rural Futures.