A blueprint for what’s next

Strong rural communities are built across generations.

In our work walking alongside young people and youth organisations, we often hear the phrase ‘young people are the future’ – as if the future sits somewhere else, waiting to arrive. But the truth is simpler: the future is being built now.

Through our 25 years working alongside remote, rural and regional communities, FRRR has seen how vital meaningful participation is to community spirit and resilience. Most recently, our place-based work across 11 communities, through the Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) program, has consistently surfaced a common theme: young people want to contribute to their community’s vitality but the pathways available often do not reflect how they want to engage.

We know that young people are not short on ideas, energy or commitment. They are stepping up with bold ideas and deep care for community. At the same time, young changemakers have told us they feel isolated. They are seeking connection, support and resources to create impact in ways that reflect their values and lived experience. Meanwhile, communities are eager to involve young people more deeply but often lack the tools, strategies or confidence to do so.

What would happen if experience, imagination and responsibility were shared across ages? If leadership was something we did together, not one generation at a time? What if all generations worked together to build the future?

Thanks to the ongoing generosity and partnership of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF), FRRR is launching the NextGen Blueprint – a three-year initiative, driven by local needs, challenges and opportunities, and designed to strengthen community collaboration and elevate youth impact by fostering shared purpose and intergenerational leadership.

The NextGen Blueprint is testing what happens when rural communities move from “engaging young people” to redesigning leadership systems so that all generations have the skills and confidence to lead together.

Intergenerational leadership sees generations designing, deciding and taking action – side by side. It’s not about handing over or holding on, but sharing power, learning together and taking responsibility, across age and experience, to shape the future of each community

By putting shared leadership at the centre, the Blueprint becomes a community-wide change effort. It moves beyond youth engagement to become a strategic, adaptive and localised approach for strengthening relationships, building trust and ensuring continuity across generations. We are especially interested in the role of young people in this approach and how we can support upskilling and agency that will empower young people to have a voice, and the confidence to use it.

Intergenerational leadership has the potential to help communities test new ways of bringing experiences and ideas to a new kind of table – one that’s consistently renewing and regenerating.

Designing the NextGen Blueprint

Research from the World Economic Forum and Harvard shows that age-diverse leadership teams make stronger, more adaptive decisions. We believe the same holds true for rural communities – that intergenerational leadership is a structural advantage, not just a social good.

When generations lead together, communities become more confident, capable and connected across time. Therefore, our ultimate measure of success is not youth activity alone, but resilient, vibrant communities where all generations contribute, belong and lead together. This is our North Star – guiding our work with communities to design the NextGen Blueprint.

FRRR’s role is to connect people: communities, young changemakers and philanthropy, and to support them through the co-design process so that there is a shared understanding about what intergenerational leadership will look like in practice in their community.

We’ve already seen glimpses of this in action: youth initiatives linked with established organisations; volunteering renewed through shared roles; local projects where experience meets new ideas. Now we’re ready to extend our understanding. The Blueprint will deepen and test these different approaches, building a framework and set of practical tools and strategies that every rural community can access to thrive, with generations working and leading together.

The NextGen Blueprint will:

• Identify what makes intergenerational collaboration work in rural communities, and how it directly expands opportunities for young people to lead and contribute locally.
• Test new models of shared leadership through community pilots that bring younger and older leaders together in real decision-making roles.
• Share insights, stories and tools so other communities and funders can adapt what works.
• Grow a network of young and experienced leaders who learn, act and shape the future together.

This initiative will provide the connective social infrastructure and capability support needed to empower emerging leaders and strengthen the foundations for effective intergenerational collaboration.

Tuning into community: A powerful beginning

To test some of our ideas, we kicked things off informally at the Social Impact in the Regions (SIITR) conference in Grafton in September. Several young changemakers attended – connecting, sharing insights and reflecting on their roles in shaping the future. The voices of the young changemakers shared on the final day of the conference were a powerful reminder of what happens when we make space for young people in sector conversations.

We also invited conference attendees to share what helps or hinders youth engagement. The responses were generous and hopeful and confirmed the themes that we have heard from across the country. 

• Genuine inclusion matters – Young people want to be heard and empowered to act in meaningful ways.
• Supportive environments build confidence – Peer support and meaningful events help young people step in.
• Structural barriers persist – Cost of living, rigid systems and gatekeeping limit access.
• When youth lead, communities thrive – People imagined vibrant, creative places with shared power and clear pathways for youth leadership.

Let’s build on this together

The conference was a great start and highlighted the value of deep listening.

So, over the coming months, we’ll talk, and listen, to young people, community leaders and partners – online, in person and around kitchen tables. We want to get a really grassroots understanding of what’s working, what’s not and what’s next. Ultimately, the drivers of the NextGen Blueprint process will be young people and their communities.

We know we do not have all the answers and this listening phase is a critical step in shaping what comes next. The insights shared by young people and communities will directly inform future funding opportunities, designed to reflect what they say is needed to create meaningful change. We are committed to learning, adapting and growing alongside communities throughout this journey.

We’re inviting input from our network to start shaping this Blueprint. Whether you’re already practising intergenerational leadership or just starting the conversation, we want to hear from you.

Please share your insights through this short survey or join us in an upcoming online session – register now.

If you have additional insights or just want to stay informed, complete this form and a member of the Youth Futures team will be in touch.