Hope Collegiate Academy students invited to help shape the future of downtown Hope
HOPE – Hope Downtown Network (HDN) is excited to announce the formation of a new Youth Advisory Committee, creating an opportunity for local students to have a voice in the continued revitalization and historic preservation of Downtown Hope.
Students attending Hope Collegiate Academy will have the opportunity to complete an application of interest to serve on the committee. Selected students will participate in ongoing conversations, activities, and projects designed to connect young people with downtown development while giving HDN valuable insight into what the next generation would like to see in the heart of their community.
The initiative kicked off Monday morning when Beckie Moore, Executive Director of Hope Downtown Network, met with Hope Collegiate Academy students for an interactive session focused on downtown revitalization and historic preservation.
Heather Flowers, Director of the Hope Collegiate Academy shared, “I could not be more excited for my students to work hand-in-hand with Hope Downtown Network to build up our community! The10th grade HCA students blew me away with their fresh ideas of what Downtown Hope could be. I am certain Hope Downtown Network will be delighted with the incredible insight the Youth Advisory Committee will bring to the table!”
Students were introduced to the Main Street Four-Point Approach — Design, Economic Vitality, Promotion, and Organization and discussed why a healthy, active downtown is important to the overall strength of a community.
But the students didn’t just listen — they went to work!
As part of a “Shark Tank” activity, students were challenged to think creatively about downtown spaces, businesses, and opportunities and to consider how new ideas could contribute to the future of Downtown Hope.
Following the morning session, students traveled to the HUB in Downtown Hope for lunch before taking part in a downtown walking tour and scavenger hunt. The activities gave students an opportunity to experience downtown firsthand while looking more closely at its historic buildings, businesses, public spaces, opportunities, and potential.
The day concluded with students responding to one important question:
“In five years, I would like to see __________ in Downtown Hope.”
Their answers will help begin an ongoing conversation between Hope Downtown Network and the young people who will one day become the community’s business owners, professionals, entrepreneurs, volunteers, investors, and leaders.
Hope Downtown Network plans to continue meeting with the students on a monthly basis as the Youth Advisory Committee develops.
“We are excited to partner with Hope Collegiate Academy as we listen and learn what the students see as important when it comes to downtown revitalization and historic preservation,” Moore said. “Young people bring fresh ideas, creativity, and a perspective that is important to the future of our community. We don’t want to plan a downtown for the next generation; we want to invite them into the conversation as we plan it.”
The Youth Advisory Committee is another step in Hope Downtown Network’s commitment to creating a vibrant, welcoming, and sustainable historic downtown through community engagement and the Main Street approach.
The future of Downtown Hope belongs to all of us, and that includes the voices of our youth.
