In a small rural town along Belfast Bay, a host of Maine teenagers spent the start of one summer break “LARPing,” battling with lightsabers while re-enacting an epic Star Wars battle. Their live-action roleplaying adventures are just one example of the unique experiences backed by the Rural Futures Fund as part of its Aspirations Incubator, which aims to increase resiliency, community engagement, and rural college-going rates among Maine middle and high schoolers.

The Aspirations Incubator is notable for its impact: Of the 390 students who have completed the pilot program, 74% ended up enrolling in college last fall — the statewide average is around 52%.

Over the last six years, mentors and students met at five diverse sites across rural Maine, everywhere from a local gaming club and a YMCA to a 4-H center and an outdoor adventures camp.

The program starts for students in 7th grade, instilling habits early that could help them succeed later in life. Each cohort of students picked a core program theme that fit their interests, with staff and volunteers helping them pursue their goals both at school and in their free time.

One cohort set out to hike all 48 state parks, visiting eight each year until they finished high school. Other groups organized sight-seeing trips to Canada, sprinkling in tours to colleges from Maine to New York and Philadelphia.

Students in the program — the oldest of which are now entering their sophomore year of college — were nearly twice as likely as their statewide peers to say they felt like they mattered to people in their community. They were also less likely to be chronically absent, and reported better scores in the state’s English and Math exams their junior year.

Engaging students and setting them up for successful career pathways is particularly critical in Maine, which has the highest percentage of adults over 65 of any state in the United States, and is invested in growing its in-state talent pipelines.

What may be most interesting about the incubator is its flexibility: After all, how many programs to improve rural college-going rates can comfortably create space for everything from rock climbing at Acadia National Park to LARPing outside a local Baptist Church?

Read the full article about rural college-going rates by Nick Fouriezos at The Daily Yonder.