Reflections on the Main Street Saskatchewan community development initiative:

• Youth involvement:  high school students 
• Community involvement
• Professional involvement: real estate, architecture, business planning

What struck me was the idea of youth involvement, where high school students were asked to participate in some of the planning initiatives.  This has the potential to give youth a vested interest in their community where the potential to have youth return to the area after higher education is a means of sustaining these rural areas.  How many small towns have a decrease in population over time when their youth venture out to the urban areas for education and employment, never to return?  Giving the youth a voice in community development initiatives guarantees these young people will have a want to return to the communities after receiving education elsewhere.  

What we see with this initiative in rural Saskatchewan can be carried forth into developing nations.