Public Policy and Advocacy
As participants in a movement to help our community re-envision what youth development and community leadership look like, we feel it is important to use our collective voice to help advocate for changes in policy that support our causes.
Much of our policy work remains focused on local issues, as we remain adamant about encouraging our students to participate in the public sphere of our community. This work has included the creation of forums to hear out candidates for local elections, and the participation of students on an advisory board for local city councils.
Recently, Llano Grande has been working with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s initiative Rural People Rural Policy (RPRP) to develop the Center’s capacity for policy advocacy and implementation. This has led to work on a more national scope; Llano Grande now serves on the steering committee that organizes the National Rural Assembly, held in Washington, D.C. to discuss policy issues affecting rural America.
We continue to learn and explore ways to create change in our community through policy, as well as encourage our students to take up leadership opportunities in similar ways.