Short documentaries featuring four youth from rural Ontario were unveiled at the Rural Ontario Institute’s (ROI) 6th annual general meeting on June 14.
The videos profile Megan Raftis of Harriston, Eric Duncan of Winchester, Emily Morrison of Beaverton, and Branden Trochymchuck of Thunder Bay.
These youth were chosen from almost 50 nominations for the first Youth Engagement Showcase (YES). Videos of their accomplishments were created to highlight rural youth making a difference in their communities.
“Being selected for a YES video profile has given me the assurance that what we are doing at Brock Youth Centre is good for our community, but YES has also shown me that this idea can be replicated in other communities across the province,” said Emily Morrison, who attended the AGM.
“Organizations have reached out to us since the announcement wanting to learn more and to visit, in an effort to bring the entrepreneurship development ideas behind Cool Cow back to their communities to help their youth.”
The meeting’s guest speaker, Arthur Potts, MPP and Parliamentary Assistant for the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, commended the YES initiative. Potts also spoke of the upcoming Rural Ontario Summit which shares a theme with YES – attracting and retaining youth in rural Ontario.
The Youth Engagement Showcase profiles compelling stories of young leaders tackling important local issues, highlights the impact youth can have in their communities and demonstrates how different types of rural communities can successfully involve youth in addressing local challenges.
“We know that engaged youth are more likely to return to their communities after post-secondary education. Inspiring youth leadership and rural youth to step up and make a difference in their towns is something the Rural Ontario Institute is passionate about,” said Rob Black, chief executive officer with ROI.
The videos can be viewed on the ROI YouTube channel at https://goo.gl/YH8oR0.
