Engaging with youth

Last year the MDC had a draw to work more with the youth in Jones County. Excitedly, this year, that happened! When the MDC conducted a community survey, I had the opportunity to go into the Junior and senior class and talk with students about the importance of giving valuable feedback on the community surveys. It was fun to get a chance to go in and visit with students in their setting! Then, we invited students to our Key Partner Event back in October. While just a handful were in attendance, they truly set the stage for what and where Murdo can become better in areas we may be lacking but also they gave great input on the opportunities that we do have in the area! This past week, I feel very fortunate that the Jones Co School District and a couple of teachers allowed me to sneak senior classmen out one by one and conduct a short interview with them. I don't know if they had fun, but I had a BLAST! I got to know each one of the seniors a little bit better by knowing what their plan was after high school, what they were going to school for, if they had plans of returning to Murdo in the future, what we are doing well, and what could be better. Because I of the opportunity to chat with them one on one, it offered them the opportunity to really open up. I am proud to say 7/11 students could see themselves POSSIBLY returning to Murdo in the future. So, with that stat alone, can we take some time to simply appreciate ourselves and know that we are making a difference, whether or not it is easy for us to acknowledge the fact that our youth do see opportunity and a future for themselves in our community!

We have so much more to share with you. We hope you will join us on March 26 at 5:30 PM at the Buffalo Bar for our Annual Meeting. Follow our facebook page for more details.