March 4, 2020 | Main Spotlight: Youth on Main Street | By: Abby Armato, Communications Coordinator, NMSC |
This month, we are celebrating YOUTH—both the young people who are making a difference in our downtowns and the downtowns that are making spaces for young people to blossom on Main Street. These initiatives and accomplishments come in all shapes and sizes—from bold youth media programs to young entrepreneurs opening their own businesses downtown—and we are excited to celebrate these stories throughout the month of March and beyond.
We have gathered some of our favorite stories from around the Main Street America Network showcasing Youth on Main Street. We look forward to hearing about YOUR town’s innovative young people throughout the month to add to this collection.
Youth Media Crew in Richmond, Calif.
Main Street Richmond’s Youth Media Crew hit the ground running this year, producing a three-part documentary that premiered in the community in late February. Entitled Downtown (Re)Discovered, this documentary is a “youth-driven and youth-created documentary, exploring the history of Downtown Richmond and envisioning its future through the perspective of residents, businesses, and places." The films' premiere included a panel discussion and a Q&A session with the Youth Media Crew.
The Youth Media Crew includes Imani Jones, Ryan Saechao, and Marlon Ixtabalan, with guidance from Mark Lampkin, media producer. Check out the Youth Media Crew video series on Richmond Main Street’s YouTube channel.
Young Entrepreneur in Sheridan, Wyo.
16-year-old Luke Knudson poses with his 1926 Model A Roadster outside the antique shop he opened when he was 13 years old. Luke drives the car at local parades and parks it outside the shop during Sheridan’s car show.
Photo Credit: Steve Bourne 3307 Photography
Downtown Sheridan, Wyoming, has been home to dozens of antique stores over the years, but one of the few remaining and most popular shops in town isn’t run by a long-time business owner—it’s operated by a local teenager who opened the shop when he was just 13 years old. In between going to class at the local high school and doing homework, 16-year-old Luke Knudson owns and operates The Old General Store Antiques. He's turned his passion for antiques into a successful Main Street destination business. “By having a store like mine downtown, it rekindles people’s interest in shopping locally and in a historic brick and mortar store,” Luke said. “I want to see a resurgence of downtown businesses being frequented again."
High School Newspaper Video Initiative in Winchester, Ky.
Two high school Seniors from George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Kentucky, have used their school newspaper as a way of highlighting local businesses in their Main Street. Smoke Signals Salutes, a new media series produced by students Hannah Curreri and Caroline Cuccinelli, showcases business owners and leadership around Main Street Winchester in their YouTube series.
“We believe high school should be about more than curriculum and diplomas,” the Smoke Signals Salutes staff wrote in their introductory article. “It should be about becoming a part of our great community, connecting to the people who make it great, and showing students that someday they can be community leaders like those we are celebrating.”
As a result of their program, these two young women are now a part of the Main Street Winchester Image Committee.
Youth Initiative Mini-Grant Program in Wilkinsburg, Pa.
Photo Credit: Greg Sciulli & Wilkinsburg CDC
Since 2010, Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation (WCDC) in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, has been supporting local youth-focused organizations with their mini-grant program. The WCDC Youth Initiative Mini-Grant Program aims to “support groups and organizations within Wilkinsburg that support the academic and civic endeavors of our youth.” Last year’s winners of the mini-grant program included a youth steelpan education organization; a field trip to the National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C.; and a summer camp aimed to educate young people about the importance of voting. In their most recent community impact report, WCDC stated that they have supported over 2,400 youth in their community!
And Beyond
From coloring books that teach youth different architectural elements to family-fun kite festivals full of entertainment and kitemaking, Main Streets all across the nation are finding creative ways to engage young people. Want to learn more about collaborating with the youth in your district? Check out these sessions available at our annual conference—Main Street Now—in Dallas, Texas:
Student-Run Businesses: Look What Your Young People Can Do: You have a reservoir of untapped resources in your community that can help you activate empty spaces, prove the market for new businesses, and generate new energy—all while helping your young people from all backgrounds see themselves with a good future in your community after they graduate. Student-run business programs could make a big difference today and tomorrow. Learn how that's working in cities nationwide.
How Students Can Support Your Main Street: In Carbondale, IL, a college town, interns and college volunteers have proven to be valuable assets. In adding a high school board member, the Main Street program has also learned to incorporate programming for a highly elusive group of residents--teenagers! Over more than a decade, Carbondale Main Street has created a robust internship program that involves many disciplines, departments, and dedicated unpaid students who help make downtown initiatives work. In this session, you'll look at the organization behind the program, and how to say "yes!" to welcoming young staff into your workplace.
Engage Youth, Engage Your Entire Community: Do you need to lower the median age of your Main Street volunteers? Get your high school students involved! During this session, you will learn about how one community created a Junior Main Street Committee and the successes they've had with multiple downtown revitalization projects over the past four years. Attendees will leave feeling more confident about engaging high school students in downtown revitalization efforts and also learn how youth can help pave the way to your Main Street program's success in more ways than one.
As part of the celebration, we will be hosting two opportunities for local programs during the month:
Draw Your Main Street! (Open to ages 0-11)
Bust out the crayons and markers! Draw a picture of what your Main Street looks like for a chance to be featured on our blog! During the month of March, share your youths' drawings on social media using #WeAreMainStreet, or email them to mainstreetnews@savingplaces.org.
What Does Main Street Mean to You? (Open to ages 12-18)
Home. Shopping with friends. The heartbeat of the community. Whatever it is, we want to know: what does Main Street mean to you? Let us know in 250-500 words for a chance to be published on our blog and shared on our social media channels! Please submit essays to mainstreetnews@savingplaces.org, subject line “What Main Street Means to Me.”
Amplify their voices with us this month as we celebrate the fantastic young people that make our downtowns so vibrant. Post photos, news articles, or YouTube videos of your youth on social media using #WeAreMainStreet to share their stories with the Main Street America Network. Be sure to check back in on our Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to see more incredible stories of our youth on Main Streets.