RURAL YOUTH LEADERS

Rural Youth Leaders is a new collaborative initiative rooted in place, culture, and the transformative power of youth leadership. Rural Youth Leaders (RYL) is designed to uplift and invest in the leadership of creative young people and the cultural stewards who support them in rural communities. RYL was born from the Rural and Tribal Youth Assembly that took place on Alex Haley’s farm outside of Knoxville, Tennessee in the summer of 2024. Aubrey spend three years working alongside the community architects of RYL, Appalachian culture workers that believe in the power of the rural. It was an honer to help launch this program, and witness the national network of rural youth leaders grow, and grow, and grow.

Partners include: Clear Creek Creative, Partners for Rural Impact, Native Americans in Philanthropy, Liberation in a Generation