Rural Change Makers

Congratulations 2023 Rural Change Makers

Saturday September 7, 2024 marked the incredibly successful Rural Ontario Youth Summit in Belleville, Ontario and celebrated graduates of the 2023 Rural Change Makers program! We are so honoured to have joined you on this incredible journey over the past 12 months and are excited to see where you lead in the future! You have each earned the distinction of Rural Change Maker!

ROI is excited to announce successful completion  of applicant selection for the 2024 Rural Change Maker Program packed full of specialized leadership skills training, enriching experiential learning activities, impactful new community development frameworks, tools and youth exchange opportunities!

The Rural Change Makers program shapes emerging leaders in rural Ontario to lead community development solutions with their communities. Young leaders are critical to the future of Rural Ontario. Their community involvement is key to feeling a sense of belonging, value and relevance. Communities become stronger when youth are leading and making a difference.

This program helps young adults gain confidence, build their preferred futures and their networks to mobilize action with their community on an issue of priority. The aim of the program is to: 

Up to 36 motivated young adults, between the ages of 18-35, from across Ontario are selected by application to address community identified priorities in their region. Regional partners set the stage for local youth recruitment to the RCM program, leadership skills training and hyper-local community economic development projects. Over 20 regional partnerships have been established for the upcoming 2024-25 program. In 2023, regional parnterships were established with the Timmins Youth Wellness Hub, Community Futures Huron and Opiikapawiin Services LP (OSLP) representing a collective of 24 northern Ontario Indigenous communities. 

As a group, change makers will undertake a learning journey together, participate in a series of developmental learning labs and come together for face-to-face experiential gatherings supporting them to take action on a challenge/opportunity they have selected in their community. Changemakers will be supported by coaches, mentors, partners and each other.