Did you notice that there’s not as much life in small communities? They seem to be dying out, especially in smaller, rural towns. What’s that all about? We might have an idea.
Young people are leaving the small communities that raised them and going to big cities. Nobody blames them, though, since it’s not their responsibility to carry communities on their shoulders. But we bet they’re not aware of the kind of damage this causes.
So, what can we do to make youth recognize the potential of their hometowns? That’s what we’re here to discuss. But first, we have to find out why so many young people are leaving in search of a better life for themselves. What’s lacking in their small communities? Let’s talk.
Lack of Opportunity
The first main reason young people leave is lack of opportunities. It goes without saying that small communities can’t offer everything. But young people are finding it harder and harder to score jobs, go to schools of their choice, or even start their own businesses.
Sure, there are a limited number of jobs available, but what happens once they’re all taken? Everyone needs to earn a living, and problems arise when that is made impossible.
It’s natural to assume that not every small community can offer universities to their residents, so let’s talk about starting your own businesses.
How likely is a new business to succeed in a small community? Many would say not likely because everything people could need already exists. Also, the support might be scarce because everyone already has their favorite business, so why would they try something new? These questions are only some that bother the youth, making them leave and look for more opportunities elsewhere.
Lack of Entertainment
Small communities face similar issues when it comes to entertainment. We aren’t only talking about clubs, bars, and such. We’re also raising awareness about the lack of sports activities and other hobbies people could participate in.
That leads many young people to feel like there’s no life in their small towns. Well, at least not for them. Finding entertainment elsewhere can be all but convenient, especially if you have to travel any kind of distance for it, right? We couldn’t agree more.
Of course, we understand that no community can offer and have it all. In fact, that shouldn’t be the case. Finding the right balance is the key, but when there’s no support or funds, it’s hard for communities to thrive or offer anything more than what they already have.
Entertainment isn’t everything in life, and we aren’t saying that young people are leaving small communities because they’re bored. In fact, we simply believe that nobody wants to live a life in which they’re just going to work and back home.
Something else needs to be happening, and people need all kinds of entertainment to enrich their lives. And when youth are having a hard time finding that in small communities, they leave.
How Can We Help?
It should be needless to say that we don’t want any of our communities dying out. Some of them are simply having a hard time because they need more people to develop and thrive. So, what’s the main thing we can do that will help the youth stay in their communities? Shop locally! Let us explain.
Supporting local businesses has many benefits. They include economic and environmental impact, but that’s not all. When you’re shopping locally, you’re actively helping your community’s workforce grow. How come? Well, when local businesses have more work, they need more workers. So, they open job positions that young people can now fill up.
On the other hand, local businesses recognize and appreciate their community’s support. That means they’re more than ready to give back and help out. They’ll go out of their way to invest time and money back into the people that helped them grow.
That means more entertainment opportunities for all community members. How come? Businesses can organize events or even fund the creation of other entertainment spots like cinemas, parks, etc.
How to Know Who You Can Trust?
Now, we know it may be difficult to trust a new or local business for many reasons. That’s because, unfortunately, many businesses will pretend to be local. But let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and say that’s probably because they don’t know what being truly local means.
In our books, being local means every part of a business is USA-made. They’re based in the USA, they get supplies from the USA, they’re employing the USA workforce — you get it. But this information usually isn't available to the public, so you can’t really know who’s a local and who’s a dropshipper, for example.
Since transparency and trust are something we care deeply about, we’ve developed an award-winning system that helps customers find trustworthy local businesses they can support. What’s this system we’re talking about? The USA Strong Verification system, of course.
We’re asking brands to forfeit the information about their business, and we keep it safe on our STRONG blockchain. But what they provide isn’t confidential to us only. Oh no! You, the customer, can also access it anytime and analyze it yourself. This builds a bridge of trust between businesses and customers much faster than anything else.
So, to find trustworthy local businesses, all you need to do is look for a Verified Badge on our website. Only the businesses that went through the verification process will have it, ensuring you’re safe in their hands.
Shopping locally will ensure you won’t only get a quality product and superb customer service, but that you’re helping underdeveloped communities grow. And what else does that mean? That you’re helping young people realize the potential of their hometowns, making them stay rather than leave.