What if… (youth)

• What if the billion $s that the federal government wants to invest for further border national security (border wall) was redirected to more educational resources, healthcare (establishing universal healthcare to reduce the national debt), and to quality of housing and infrastructure. What if we created a national rural youth leadership program to engage youth people in civic engagement and to run for office?
• What if we could really help ourselves and everyone around us understand that every child in each of our communities is our child? If we did that, would everyone and every organization came together to nourish all children with good food and good medical care and teach all children to read and to thrive so that the next generations are stronger and better than the current ones?
• What if…No one tried to discredit ethnic groups, experiences, cultures and what they found offensive? Tribes were able to exercise full sovereignty? Native youth were given the tools they need to reach their full potential (sustainable living, top of the line school facilities, committed teachers/mentors, supportive communities, access to better healthcare, fully funded programs) and had nothing to stop them?
• What if we create a two generation approach focused on entrepreneurship and financial literacy. We create a national think tank to address poverty for youth K-12 and their families. We create digital and printed rural development toolkits and help build the capacity of local leaders. We create a mobile app that provides continuing education and resources for rural leaders, develop a national coalition to fund projects in rural communities. Help non-profits create for-profit entities to support sustainable
• What if we could “quantify” the value of human capital in rural economic development? What if every child had a support system from birth (CSA) (trauma)?
• What if tribal land trusts were fully restored and the nations became sovereign sanctuary areas?
  What if we could fundamentally rethink punishment – abolish prisons, juvenile detention?
• What if every child born in a rural place had access to the resources and support needed to realize their full potential? What if every child was born with privilege?
• What if children growing up in rural areas – and educators and programs that serve them – had equal ACCESS to resources of all kinds to fuel learning and open new opportunities for children to reach their potential?
• What if all children in rural communities lived in families where at least one parent/caregiver had a job with pay above 200% of poverty?