"Revitalising Rural America One Business Idea At A Time"

Life in towns on the Great Plains can be magnificent. Fresh air, healthy living, great natural surroundings, and a strong sense of community.

However, for the teens and twenty-somethings, the lure of the big cities can be irresistible.

Heading off to college can be a last goodbye for a large proportion of young people who have grown up in the farming communities on the Great Plains. It's not they they don't want to live in or near their home town, but it's hard to see how they can make a decent living in a small town, compared with the rich variety of work available in the cities.

But communities in the Ogallala Commons area are not going to sit passively by and watch the cream of their youth seduced by the neon lights and smorgasbord of opportunities of the big cities.

They see the answer to this dilemma is simple - create more business opportunities in rural America. If the big employers aren't around offering jobs, they reason, we can grow our own jobs. Even better, we can teach young people to get in on the ground floor by starting their own businesses, and that will create more jobs as those businesses grow.

"Studies we have completed during the past three years indicate that more than 60 percent of students in grades 7 through 12 would return to their rural hometown after college, if provided with sufficient opportunities," said Chris Sramek, director of Rawlins county Economic Development. "In this time of abundant change, entrepreneurship presents a multitude of opportunities to young people in rural communities. Also, it provides those rural communities with an opportunity to reverse the long decline in population that has characterized rural America for so long."

Rawlins County and Baca County now run annual Youth Entrepreneur Fair Days, where 12-17 year olds pitch their business ideas in hopes of winning a $1000 prize.

"It's important for Kansas youth to understand that owning your own business is a career option to consider," said Steve Radley, director of NetWork Kansas, major sponsor of the Rawlins County 2008 Fair Day. "This event gives them the opportunity to think creatively and to learn more about the process of starting your own business. We're excited to be a part of it."

Self-reliance has always been a hallmark of the farmers on the Great Plains. Now there is a move to create entrepreneurial self-reliance in a new generation, encouraging college graduates to return home to start their working lives, and giving young families more reason to stay in rural towns.