Helping high schoolers develop leadership skills at Texas Tech Rural Youth Catalyst Summit

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - High schoolers from across the South Plains had the opportunity to grow their leadership skills here in Lubbock on Saturday.

The Texas Tech Davis College of Agriculture hosted its Rural Youth Catalyst Summit out at the National Ranching Heritage Center.

Around 35 high school sophomores and juniors came together for skill building workshops and discussions about the challenges facing young people in rural areas.

Event organizers tell us it’s a way to explore the challenges of our rural communities and inspire the next generation of leaders to face those challenges head on.

“Youth who want to make an impact in their hometowns, they want to make an impact in West Texas. Getting them here to campus to learn about networking, to learn about building a personal brand, but also right now they’re exploring different challenges in rural areas. We want them to take on some of these challenges like water, local economies, what are things they can do as young leaders to make an impact now and not wait 10 years, 20 years down the road - what can they do now to empower their home towns,” Jason Headrick said.

The students also had the opportunity to hear from local experts on major topics like education, health care, agriculture, and water.