Investing in Youth Engagement: Empowering a Generation Ready to Lead.
As someone born and raised in Idaho, I’ve had the unique experience of growing up alongside my state as it grows too.
Because of that, I’ve seen both its strengths and its gaps. One of the things I have struggled with most is the level of need so many young people in our state experience. We lack a strong, connected social infrastructure, and because of that, many kids my age don’t receive education about important life topics or the support they need to pursue their futures — whether through traditional college pathways or non-traditional ones.
When I served on the panel, The Future of Idaho’s Politics, one of our biggest conclusions was that young people are often written off simply because of our age.
It’s true, we may not have decades of professional experience. But we do have lived experience. We have experienced Idaho’s education system. We have participated in activism. We have navigated community spaces. And when young people are dismissed solely because of age, it sends a message that our perspectives don’t matter.
Over time, that pushes people away from staying in this state. I am proud to call Idaho home, and I don’t want to leave. I stay because I believe in growth and change. As our state continues to expand and evolve, my call to leaders like yourselves is simple: diversify your approach to youth engagement and development.
Young people may not have all the answers, but if you give us the opportunity to learn, to become, and to grow, we will rise to meet the moment. The more you give young people a real chance to shape their communities, the more they will want to stay and invest in them.
When I envision the future of Idaho, I see a cyclical community, one where those who grew up here and built careers intentionally return to support the next generation. That cycle of reinvestment is essential, and right now, it is something we are lacking. I believe nonprofits are uniquely positioned to help build that bridge.
I envision a model where a nonprofit addressing food insecurity meets immediate needs while partnering with community spaces like local YMCAs. From there, individuals could be connected to education-focused nonprofits and schools, which then link to workforce development programs and recreational opportunities that support long-term stability, health, and purpose. Instead of disconnected interventions.
Idaho could build an end-to-end system of support that serves both urban and rural communities alike. A circular nonprofit model like this would not just address immediate challenges, it would build belonging. And belonging is what keeps people here. What matters most for our future is creating a culture that is compassionate enough to care for its people and strong enough to help them achieve their dreams. I firmly believe the nonprofit sector stands at a unique precipice to help create that future.
But it starts by intentionally including young people, giving us opportunities to learn about our communities, to discover who we want to become, and to grow into engaged citizens of Idaho. If we build that system now, we won’t just retain young people, we will empower a generation ready to lead.
Colby Bond is a Boise State University Student, the Director of Development for the Idaho Financial Literacy Coalition, an Idaho Native, and a community organizer creating solutions in financial operations, development planning, and grassroots engagement.