Leaders from across the Hill Country will be tackling one of rural America’s most obstinate problems, the so-called ‘brain drain,’ in Fredericksburg next month. Across Texas and the nation, many rural regions are stagnant or declining in population, and one reason, authorities say, is because young people are leaving home for jobs, higher education, and the excitement of urban life. To make matters worse, it is often the ‘best and brightest’ who go away, giving rise to the term ‘brain drain.’“For years rural leaders have complained about the loss of talented youth, but they accepted it as more or less inevitable,” says Bobby Gierisch, director of Texas Rural Innovators, a non-profit organization based in Austin. “But we now have quite a few cases of people and organizations that decided to fight the problem, and they are having good success,” Gierisch added.The Fredericksburg Forum will feature speakers from four organizations or communities that are addressing the youth exodus with good results. They include a Texas Panhandle organization that helps communities and young people explore pathways to a future ‘at home’ through innovative internships, and a school-based group in South Texas that sends scores of students to Ivy League and other prestigious universities; many return home to help others do the same.The Forum also includes a north Texan who traveled a 100,000 miles as a university leader, then returned to his home-town of 900 people and, together with high school classmates who also came back, has raised over two million dollars to realize some childhood goals; and an acclaimed theater director from Western Virginia whose organization has provided up to 30 jobs and a million-dollar payroll in a coal-mining town of 1200 people.Mr. Gierisch says anyone interested in the future of their community should come, but space is limited and prior registration is required.The event is 9:30am to 3:30pm on November 10, and lunch and refreshments are provided. A fee of $15 will be collected at the door, and persons interested in attending can get more information at www.ruraltx.org or by calling 512-499-8948. Leaders from across the Hill Country will be tackling one of rural America’s most obstinate problems, the so-called ‘brain drain,’ in Fredericksburg next month. Across Texas and the nation, many rural regions are stagnant or declining in population, and one reason, authorities say, is because young people are leaving home for jobs, higher education, and the excitement of urban life. To make matters worse, it is often the ‘best and brightest’ who go away, giving rise to the term ‘brain drain.’“For years rural leaders have complained about the loss of talented youth, but they accepted it as more or less inevitable,” says Bobby Gierisch, director of Texas Rural Innovators, a non-profit organization based in Austin. “But we now have quite a few cases of people and organizations that decided to fight the problem, and they are having good success,” Gierisch added.The Fredericksburg Forum will feature speakers from four organizations or communities that are addressing the youth exodus with good results. They include a Texas Panhandle organization that helps communities and young people explore pathways to a future ‘at home’ through innovative internships, and a school-based group in South Texas that sends scores of students to Ivy League and other prestigious universities; many return home to help others do the same.The Forum also includes a north Texan who traveled a 100,000 miles as a university leader, then returned to his home-town of 900 people and, together with high school classmates who also came back, has raised over two million dollars to realize some childhood goals; and an acclaimed theater director from Western Virginia whose organization has provided up to 30 jobs and a million-dollar payroll in a coal-mining town of 1200 people.Mr. Gierisch says anyone interested in the future of their community should come, but space is limited and prior registration is required.The event is 9:30am to 3:30pm on November 10, and lunch and refreshments are provided. A fee of $15 will be collected at the door, and persons interested in attending can get more information at www.ruraltx.org or by calling 512-499-8948.