SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - There are 50 million rural residents in the United States and some families are disenfranchised by the isolation and poverty.
National Rural Assembly chair Dee Davis says a new effort called "Kids, Climate, Connection" aims at getting young rural residents involved to affect change.
Davis says it's important to create a different landscape, create more opportunities for rural kids. He says they need to be in a position where they can create their own opportunities.
Davis says the big challenge is creating innovative business opportunities that make a difference.
He says jobs are becoming more portable. People will live where they want to live and employment will be in the laptop they carry. It's important to reimagine rural communities so that youth have an opportunity to make a difference there.
Davis says the high rate of child poverty has rural America facing "a lost generation of kids and families." He believes addressing that problem is key to improving opportunities for young people and prompting them to stay in their rural hometowns.
Davis says rural America offers a wealth of climate solutions, including wind and solar energy, while broadband-starved rural communities need better connection to the global economy.
