Cuba High School senior Kaylann Beekman was recently selected to represent Illinois at the Rural Youth Assembly Summit in McAllen, Texas (*Note: The Summit was originally scheduled for April 2-5, but will be postponed for a later date). She is one of just 50 young adults, ages 16-24, selected across the nation to serve as a delegate. The Summit brings young people together to explore unique challenges facing rural youth, and identify creative solutions to address them.
On this episode, we ask Kaylann about the Rural Youth Assembly; what she’s learned so far and what she hopes to gain from the experience.
For more information on the Rural Youth Assembly, please visit their webpage linked here. The Rural Youth Assembly is a program of the Center for Rural Strategies. The goal of the summit is to bring a select group of young people together to further explore the unique challenges facing rural youth, identify creative solutions, and provide a context for how these issues fit into national rural policy. A diverse group of young people will participate in the assembly in order to build awareness around issues of relevance across rural geographies and identities, including income, race, culture, faith, accessibility, gender, and sexual orientation. And the best part is they will cover all of Kaylann’s expenses – Food, lodging, and travel!
If you have any questions or comments for Kaylann, let us know and I’m sure she’ll be happy to respond. We hope you enjoy our conversation with Kaylann!
The Forgottonia Project 