A summit in Belleville this September will give 15-35 year olds, from various regions and backgrounds, the opportunity to network and foster leadership and entrepreneurship.
Throughout the day, guests at The Rural Ontario Youth Summit will hear from speakers, engage in breakout discussions, participate in rural development workshops and network through a youth-led trade show showcasing projects and resources.
“Meeting so many different people at Ignite and experiencing things I have never done before through the Rural Change Maker program has had a really big impact on me. I feel brave and I am no longer afraid of embracing positive change,” says Mahbuba Airin, 2023 Rural Change Maker and Co-Chair of the Rural Ontario Youth Summit.
“It’s an exciting time and the summit will provide youth from across Ontario with the opportunity to catalyze positive change and leadership in their own lives.
“Rural youth often face unique challenges such as limited access to educational resources, economic opportunities, and community support,” says Ellen Sinclair, Executive Director at ROI.
She went on to say that this year’s youth summit will address these challenges and provide a platform for youth to develop essential skills, explore career opportunities, and build a supportive network.
“When ROI reached out about holding their Rural Ontario Youth Summit here in Belleville, we knew we had to be a part of it. Part of our mandate is to help drive growth in the region and there’s no better way to do that than fostering leadership within our Bay of Quinte region youth,“ says Dug Stevenson, Executive Director of the Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board and Rural Ontario Youth Summit sponsor.
“And with the United Way HPE as a coordinating partner, we know this Rural Youth Summit in September is going to be something pretty special.”
To register for this free event people should visit RuralOntario Institute | Events.
