Linking Healthy Communities / Healthy Youth and Rural Economic Development

I've discovered a very interesting connection being made to Healthy Communities / Healthy Youth activities and Economic Development - especially in rural communities.

Three examples you can read about at http://www.search-institute.org/assetmag/autumn01/:

Mason City:

"like many other small towns in America’s heartland, Mason City, is shrinking. And the first to take off are youth: about half leave Mason City, demographers report.

“Here’s our reality,” says Lori Henry, a city council member in this town of 29,040. “We have an aging population. WE NEED TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO KEEP OUR BASE. So we need to get our young people to connect to the community, to get them to return here and raise their families here.”"

Union County Iowa:

"“There’s nothing more important for a community long term than developing young people,” Karl Knock (Banker)says. “If you grow up and leave your hometown and it was terrible, if it ground you down and bored you, you’ll never come back. BUT IF THE TOWN NURTURED YOU, YOU MIGHT JUST COME BACK."

To help foster such a nurturing environment, the bank recognizes and uses its position as the first contact many groups in a rural community make when attempting to establish a new venture. So when an arts project, a Habitat for Humanity home, and a school-based weather station approached the bank, the Knocks made sure to hook the projects up with Youth Plus as well."

Hampton, VA:

"Want a glimpse of state-of-the-art youth involvement? Then visit the port city of Hampton, Va., where more than 600 young people a year are involved in leadership, policy, and decision making. Now known across the country for its dynamic youth-adult partnerships, HAMPTON HAD AN ECONOMIC MOTIVATION TO REMAKE ITSELF INTO AN ASSET-BUILDING COMMUNITY.

Back in 1990, the town was sinking economically. To fight back, the community rallied around a carefully wrought strategic plan, resulting in today’s diversified economy, low unemployment, and emphasis on youth and family."

The page I have linked to also has this great example of community assets approach:

Fast-Food Restaurant Serves Up More Than French Fries in Hartford, Kentucky:

The Hartford McDonald’s serves as something of a community center: the Bookmobile visits the parking lot, high school students read to preschoolers in the Play Place area, and, on Valentine’s Day, dimmed lights and candles offer teens a low-cost alternative to more expensive restaurants.

Technorati Tag hchy