Engaging Young People

1
Engaging Young People

• Presentation to the Small Towns Summit
• Maffra August 2009
• Paul Collits and Kaye Scholfield

2
Outline

• Young peoples views of rural towns
• Why developing young people is important for
  small towns
• Why it is hard to stop young people leaving rural
  communities
• The impact of social change, especially the
  sexual revolution
• Cult of education
• What RMIT is doing in Hamilton
• Some strategies for engaging young people

3
What Young People Think of Rural Towns Jade

• Girls my age want to do something more than
  being a hairdresser or a housewife or a check-out
  chick. Thats all there is really offering in a
  small town. I always said I wanted to get out.
  I want to travel and go overseas. I want to see
  everything and do everything. Theres more to
  life than Hay

4
Anthea

• If you dont mind being a shop assistant or a
  hairdresser, its fine here. But if you want to
  do something more if you want to have, like, a
  professional career, you have to go away to
  study. And once youve seen other places, its
  really not much to come back to.

5
Keeping the Youth

• The long term future of many small rural
  communities is dependent on young people either
  staying or coming back to their community(Lani
  Houston 2005)

6
Why Developing Young People is Vital for Rural
Futures

• The rural population is ageing
• Average of farmers is high and rising
• Business owners retire
• Volunteers burn out
• The talent base is thin compared to larger places
• Future success depends upon economic diversity
  and this means new ideas, new thinking
• Keeping small towns vibrant needs renewable
  energy and next gen leadership
• Futures thinking is critical because the
  economic, social and environmental issues are
  getting bigger

7
Conflicting Views of Rural Youth Out-migration

• It is terrible that our best and brightest leave
  we should do something about it
• They will go all young people are mobile dont
  try to stop them but encourage them to come back
  with their enhanced skills
• The current youth allowance debate highlights the
  dilemma we want a better deal for our young,
  even if their leaving hurts us!

8
The Sexual Revolution and the Decline of Small
Towns

• Social change drives economic change
• Cheap access to the pill changed everything
• Now, most young people and more girls aspire to
  the portfolio life
• The aspirations of rural Gen Y are high and
  rising
• Cities maximise opportunities for the portfolio
  life thick labour markets and mating markets
• This means they wont necessarily come back
• A classic wicked problem

9
The Modern Cult of Education

• The knowledge economy prosperity depends on
  human capital
• Lifelong learning second degrees becoming the
  norm
• Education seen as a means to personal fulfilment
  and wealth (graduates earn more)
• Schools and many parents encourage young people
  only to think university
• Cultural pressure - you are seen as a failure if
  you stay
• Greater participation of rural youth in higher ed
  is a 2 edged sword
• And not every regional area can have a university

10
Some Figures

• 1970s 30, now over 80 complete Year 12, and we
  are aiming even higher
• More Year 12 completions and expanded places
  through HECS means more go to university
• The number enrolled in higher ed in 1980 was 324
  000 in 2008 the figure was 925 500
• 55 enrolments female (57 commencing enrolments)
• Higher ed attainment 6th highest in the OECD
• Government wants this to go even higher (40)
• Yet up to a third of the jobs done by graduates
  do not require a uni degree!
• All this doesnt help small towns to keep their
  talent!

11
RMIT Initiatives in Southern Grampians Shire

• RMIT University at Hamilton is focusing on youth
  issues in rural Victoria
• The 10 MMM Project
• Landscapes 4 Young People
• Young Entrepreneurs Program
• Next Gen Farmers Rural Leadership Program

12
10 MMM

• 10 towns, multimedia mayhem
• Exploring the use of technology by young people
  in a rural community, and its impact on their
  aspirations and social relationships
• Young people used as researchers
• Project has helped broaden the thinking of the
  young about technology

13
Landscapes 4 Young People

• An action research project in Glenelg and
  Southern Grampians Shires
• Create more opportunities and better services for
  young people in our region
• Identify current needs, patterns, issues
• Do this by engaging the young in the research
  process
• Inform Shires in future strategies for young
  people

14
Young Entrepreneurs Program

• Aim is to create new community wealth by
  encouraging young people to generate great new
  business ideas
• A first for Southern Grampians Shire
• A partnership across the community
• Support from Hamilton Regional Business
  Association
• Technical skills component and community support
• Workshops, mentoring, great ideas competition
• Utilising local role models and RMITs Bachelor
  of Business (Eship)
• This model can be replicated in other communities

15
Next Gen Farmers

• A capacity building initiative for young farmers,
  rural enterprise managers and future community
  leaders
• Funding by DAFF
• Addressing uncertainty and increasingly complex
  futures
• Mentoring by current rural leaders
• Developing both skills and knowledge
• Again, a model that can be replicated

16
Strategies for Engaging and Developing Young
People

• Recognise realities, but challenge stereotypes
• Think regionally, work together regionally
• Recognise the importance of entrepreneurship
• Support young entrepreneurs
• Everywhere develop a culture of innovation
• Lower barriers to entry for young people to
  contribute
• Tell them they dont have to leave
• Tell them there are many options if they stay,
  including being a check out chick

17
Contact

• Dr Paul Collits
• Research Fellow
• Regional Development in Global Context
• School of Global Studies, Social Science and
  Planning RMIT University
• PO Box 572 Hamilton VIC 3300
• ph 61 3 5572 0537
• fax [phone]
• mobile [phone]
• email paul.collits_at_rmit.edu.au