VERMILION, Alta. – Young people leaving the farm is part of a normal phenomenon, says a Quebec academic.
Patrice Leblanc of the Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temisicamingue has found two reasons why rural youth leave:
- Modern society is mobile and people travel more than in the past.
- Moving from their hometown is a traditional way for young people to separate from their parents in the transition to adulthood.
At an Oct. 12 session of the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation’s annual policy conference, Leblanc talked about a survey he conducted of rural youth who left his western Quebec region 700 kilometres north of Montreal.
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When asked why they left, 79 percent said it was to live their life. In the multiple answer question, 63 percent also said it was to further their education and only 29 percent said it was to get a job.
The survey also asked whether they would like to return home. Leblanc said 57 percent said they would like to because of the quality of rural life and being closer to nature, family and friends.
He said rural communities should not fret about youth leaving because half of them intend to return.
When they come back, he added, they will be better educated and with different experiences than those who stayed, which builds what Leblanc called social capital – new blood and innovative ideas to refresh a community.
However, delegates to the session said the picture seemed brighter in Quebec. Leblanc agreed with one person who suggested the province’s French language and distinct culture may keep more youth in rural Quebec. A woman from the Maritimes noted that youth in her area look at moving to other provinces rather than just another region within the province.
When asked whether it is possible to persuade urban young people to move to rural areas, Leblanc said it can happen, “especially since the new generation values the environment and a rural quality of life.”
However, he cautioned, they won’t move too far from the city and its entertainment, maybe 100 km at most.
One delegate from Prince George, B.C., noted that the University of Northern British Columbia had been specifically located in his town to hold rural youth in the community. The plan is working because 40 percent of the local youth study there.
As well, 20 percent of the university’s enrolment is from out of the region and that group tends to stay and get jobs in the area.
Another delegate noted that a tour of a Hutterite colony the day before had piqued curiosity about keeping Hutterite young people at home. The tour guide noted that few women leave the colony but many young men do.
However, they usually return because they can’t survive in the modern world with their Grade 9 education.
