Get on My Lawn!

Youth Engagement to encourage civic duty.

Like other communities across our region, Knightstown has found it challenging to recruit new volunteers for community involvement. As our leadership and people who have long volunteered in community efforts ages, it is important for the town to work with key stakeholders to engage the youth. Youth civic engagement is critically important in order to prepare youth to become adults who are active citizens in our democracy.

Knightstown challenges FFC innovators to provide a unique solution to increase involvement of youth in civic activities by creating a youth engagement program.

Pertinent Facts

Currently Knightstown citizens are fortunate that there are strong leaders who have committed the time, talents and treasures to work together to make the town a thriving community. It is notable that of six elected officials who manage the town government, three are over the age of seventy and three are over the age of fifty-five. Attempts to recruit younger adults interested in serving the community have proven hard, if not impossible.

Additionally, the volunteer fire department and volunteer ambulance service have had challenges recruiting new, younger members. In late 2020, the local volunteer ambulance service announced that it may not be able to continue to provide services due to lack of funding and lack of volunteers willing to join their team.

It is essential to bridge the gap between the fifty-five year olds who are serving today and younger people who can become leaders in the future. Creating programs that prepare youth and teach them the responsibilities of people who live in a democracy, while encouraging them to join in government and town activities while they are young can help the town in future years.