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New Roots Movement

Out migration of youth from rural areas has been a consistent, unfortunate issue for many years; and, for years people have tried to keep youth from leaving by using economic opportunity and creating better paying jobs as incentives to stay in the region. However, young people still migrate, leaving people baffled. This raises the question, “How many young people were at the table, joining in the conversations and the decisions about the efforts to address youth out migration?” The likely answer is, not many. If you are attempting to solve a problem impacting young people, they should be the first people you consult. Youth are the experts on youth.

Youth are the next generation of citizens and leaders of the world. If rural areas are to thrive in the future, states and communities need to start engaging their young people in decisions being made for the future. Without the enthusiasm, intelligence and ambition of the next generation to carry forward, all other problems seem insignificant. The most productive approach is to involve young people in creating the kind of place they would like to live. If young people are engaged in visualizing what they want, and taken seriously by those who control the social and economic resources, they will most likely stay. It is through having a voice, an outlet, and a role in creating the future that one creates appreciation and a sense of belonging.

What is New Roots Movement?

New Roots Movement (NRM) is a youth-led youth movement that is dedicated to helping young people achieve their identity and voice in the rural northern Great Plains through education, personal leadership development and participating in youth and intergenerational dialogues. They will be united with area and regional youth, mentors and youth advocates, who are also a part of the network. The skills young people develop through NRM are skills that will help throughout their life, will encourage them to become civically engaged and will help them and their communities realize their value to their communities.

It is NRM’s belief that through leadership development and mentorship, youth will find ways and be enthusiastic to get actively involved in their community. They can help transition their home community into one that values and hears the voices of everyone. If they get involved early on, it’s likely to impact future choices about where they will live. The future is in their hands. If we start acknowledging and training them as future leaders, they will become the leaders this region needs to thrive.

The purpose of NRM is twofold: first, to strengthen the leadership skills of youth and provide them with opportunities and ideas for active community participation and involvement; and second to work with adults and communities to promote youth inclusiveness by accepting them as a valuable community asset.

A major goal of NRM, is to create New Roots Leadership Academy (NRLA). NRLA will be a leadership academy for intergenerational community teams in the Northern Great Plains states (ND, SD, NE, IA, MN). The Academy will be uniquely youth-led learning opportunity developed around intergenerational, community partnerships. It will give youth the chance to sharpen their leadership skills, while providing community leaders tips on how to work with youth and how to increase youth participation in their hometown. Through learning journeys, experiential workshops, speakers, and discussions, participants will gain knowledge and skills that they will immediately use to design a project for implementation back home. The experience of the Academy won’t end at the close of the workshop; rather it will provide an opening to community partnerships and adults and youth working side by side in their home community.

Participants will leave the Academy with:
  • A greater appreciation for cultural, social and generation differences
  • Useful leadership skills they can use in their homes, schools, communities, and states
  • A better understanding of their role and responsibility as a citizen
  • Resources, confidence and support for building youth/adult partnerships
  • Ideas on how to get involved in their community
  • A specific action plan for a youth-led community event
The Academy will be open to any intergenerational team in the Northern Great Plains states of ND, SD, NE, IA, and MN. Youth looking to gain valuable leadership skills and make a difference in their community will be encouraged to apply. Community leaders who are interested in increasing youth participation and are willing to mentor a young person should also apply. New Roots Movement especially encourages applications from young people who haven’t already held any leadership positions.

Another major goal of NRM’s is to give youth a voice in their community. One of the reasons youth leave is because they don’t feel valued or included at a community level. Youth rarily get invited to participate in community discussions about the place they live and the future they will inherit. NRM will give youth the support, skills, and guidance needed to have a voice and take part in conversations within their community.

Sure, communities do ask youth help and support at times, but it is usually help with a menial task, like stuffing envelopes or doing the jobs that no adult wants to do. Think of the message this sends to young people. Youth want to be involved in something more significant. NRM will prepare and help transform youth into the leaders they can be, while also sending an important message to communities—youth are of value and are important. They are the leaders of tomorrow.

New Roots Movement will host state and regional intergenerational and youth dialogues focusing on topics impacting the future of their community, their state, and their region to give them the opportunity and experience of taking part and leading important conversations. These intergenerational dialogues and relationships will help youth understand the dynamics of communicating across generations. Creating these relationships or mentorships will help youth acquire the skills and confidence to share their ideas. Communities will advance and progress with the addition of youth voices and will have the opportunity to create a vision with the future citizens, not for them.

New Roots Movement is an idea whose time has come. Young people from throughout the Northern Great Plains are working together to establish NRM. Those involved in creating New Roots Movement hope that this concept will take off and be very successful in the near future. Please join them in this important initiative.

For more information or to get involved contact Maggie Schmaltz at the Meadowlark Institute. maggie@meadowlarkinstitute.org