Rural Youth Leaders Fellowship

Rural Youth Leaders Fellowship is sponsored by Partners for Rural Impact, Clear Creek Creative, Liberation in a Generation, Native Americans in Philanthropy. Supports teams of young leaders in rural U. S.

communities to develop creative and cultural initiatives through mentorship and funding.

Meet the first year’s cohort! Rural Youth Leaders is a new collaborative initiative rooted in place, culture, and the transformative power of youth leadership. Launched by Partners for Rural Impact and Clear Creek Creative , Rural Youth Leaders (RYL) is designed to uplift and invest in the leadership of creative young people and the cultural stewards who support them in rural communities.

In 2025, we invited teams from 6 rural communities across the U.S. and tribal nations to join the inaugural RYL cohort.

Each rural community team consists of: 2 emerging leaders aged 18-24 who engage in creative arts and cultural traditions who will participate in the youth fellowship 1 cultural steward committed to mentor the 2 youth leaders and accompany them in the fellowship 1 nominating organization that agrees to be a backbone of support for the youth leaders and steward as they pursue the fellowship and their local community project The 2 emerging leaders from each rural community will join a youth cohort that journeys through the fellowship experience together.

The cultural stewards will accompany their 2 youth in the fellowship and build a peer cohort as well which will become the basis for building a broader national stewards network over time.

Through this inaugural RYL program, young people and stewards will receive: Leadership development grounded in creative arts and cultural traditions that build the skills and capacity to lead and uplift their communities Mentorship from program facilitators and stakeholders who share their passion for using creativity as a tool for change Funding including $2,500 stipends for each youth fellow and $10,000 to support the cultural steward and nominating organization Project guidance to initiate and implement a community-building project of their own design National networks of peer support for both youth participants and cultural stewards Opportunities to inform and influence narratives, policy agendas, strategies and power-building of stakeholder organizations and funding partners A great chance to make an impact as creative changemakers in their own community and nationally!

The inaugural RYL fellowship started in September, 2025 and concludes in July, 2026. Stay tuned for updates along the way! Rural youth leaders and cultural stewards gathered at CDF Alex Haley Farm in Tennessee for the opening retreat of the RYL 2025-26 fellowship.

Videos by Erica Chambers. RYL Mississippi Team experiments with movement inspired by earth, wind, water, and fire for their “Country Girlz” dance recital project.