This report was published by YouthREX.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT:

Due in part to the lack of access to quality programs, services, and opportunities in rural and remote communities, young people face the challenging decision to leave home and move to urban centres to seek access to programs, services, and opportunities. In a constantly urbanizing world, how can we ensure that young people living in rural and remote communities are not ‘left behind?’ How might we meet the specific needs and interests of diverse youth living in rural and/or remote communities? How might we invest strategically and meaningfully in rural and remote communities to address inequitable access to programs, services, and opportunities for youth?

In October 2016, YouthREX hosted a Design Day that brought together youth sector stakeholders – youth, youth workers, policy makers, researchers, funders, and citizens – to collaboratively tackle four ‘thorny’ challenges, or Idea Labs, that youth and youth workers experience, including this topic, Far and Farther: Equitable Access to Programs, Services, and Opportunities for Youth Living in Rural and Remote Communities. This report is a snapshot of this Design Day, provides a review of the context around this Idea Lab topic, and shares the two prototype pitches that participants co-developed in response to the challenge. The report includes reflections on the collaborative process along with resources and case study examples that can inspire our youth work.