Waypoint is Midcoast Youth Center’s Aspirations Incubator program that supports rural Maine youth from seventh grade through high school graduation. The program proves that when young people are given consistent mentors and real opportunities to lead, they rise to meet them. Waypoint’s impact shows up in returning students and in a growing number of young people stepping into leadership roles of their own.

The Youth Development by Design program, led by Rural Youth Institute Executive Director Meg Taft and former Trekkers Training Director Diane Sternberg, allowed training participants to learn more about the concepts they interact with in youth development initiatives. At the end of this training, participants designed and carried out a capstone project rooted in their own site, using what they learned to meet a real need for the young people they serve.

For 32 years, Trekkers has committed to building meaningful and lasting connections between youth and adult mentors through consistent touch points and outdoor-based adventures. Its impact shows up in the lives of students and in the numbers, demonstrating the need for programming that affects rural youth in positive ways.

Following the announcement for the Aspirations Incubator Request for Proposals in December 2025, the Rural Youth Institute has awarded the Cobscook Institute with grant funding to propel their programming and growth in 2026, in addition to three other Maine-based organizations.

In this article, the Rural Youth Institute celebrates the leadership of women across the Aspirations Incubator Network, whose vision, commitment, and collaboration are strengthening opportunities for rural youth and shaping the future of youth development.

Grounded in pillars that emphasize enrichment, community, relationships, new skills, and endless possibilities, Dreamcatchers provides opportunities for rural youth to explore the world around them and become engaged in civic projects.

Following the announcement for the Aspirations Incubator Request for Proposals in December 2025, the Rural Youth Institute has awarded three organizations with grant funding to propel their programming and growth in 2026.

Uplifting rural youth takes more than a single spark. Programming, mentorship, and inspiration are all made possible by community collaboration and group action — a partnership like the one formed by the Rural Youth Institute and AmeriCorps is proof that working together can help bring impact to a new level.

Since 2017, NorthStar 4-H Youth Mentoring has helped students in rural Maine broaden their horizons and build resilience through adventure, mentorship, and community support. What began as a pilot program in partnership with MSAD #44 has now grown to include youth in Oxford Hills (MSAD 17) and the Belfast area (RSU 71). 

The Aspirations Incubator pilot program has proven to be a game-changer for rural Maine youth, prompting the Rural Futures Fund to envision the creation of the Rural Youth Institute.

The mentoring program helps students build skills, along with other supports, that will aid them in seeking postsecondary education.

Over the past few days I’ve been thinking about all of the students across our state and nation who are currently at home, and who have not had much interaction with the protective factor of caring adults outside of their homes whom they normally connect with on a daily and/or weekly basis.

For this “Portrait”, we synthesize the program and mentoring progression info for each grade into 3-4 snapshot "experiences" that a student (named Katie) would have each year that represent the mix of activities and mentoring interactions that would be representative of a young person’s six-year experience in the program model.

Last week, I received an e-newsletter from a local non-profit that referenced a recent article in the Financial Times from author Arundhati Roy. In the article, Ms. Roy states: “Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.

On a Friday in February 2015, I invited 24 organizations to apply for funding, in response to letters of inquiry our foundation had solicited. The next day, our board held a retreat in order to evaluate the foundation’s grantmaking outcomes over the first 5 years.

The Lerner Foundation had only been making grants for five years when the winds shifted—the Board of Directors decided it was time for a profound change in our priorities. Our founding purpose is simple and straightforward: “to further opportunity for the people of Maine.” Manny and Polly Lerner’s broad and hopeful intention for the foundation gave us the space to consider what opportunity we could further if we focused our resources on one big, bold idea: The Aspirations Incubator.

The Emanuel & Pauline A. Lerner Foundation is so pleased to announce a second round of funding for the Trekkers Training Institute for Youth Development, through a grant of $105,950.