January 2018

Winter Summit

A small group of teachers, administrators, industry and postsecondary representatives met at the University of Maine, Orono to explore the following questions:  
 
  • Is there a link between natural resource-based educational opportunities within rural schools/communities and the success of a diverse forest economy?
 
  • How could a collaboration between natural resource community leaders, postsecondary institutions, teachers and students contribute to a successful natural resource-based economy in Maine?
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FINDINGS?
YES!  There is a link between opportunities and the success of Maine's forest economy!
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YES!  Collaboration is the key to developing an engaged, informed, and innovative future workforce!

May 2018

Spring Summit

We brought the team back to investigate how innovation is playing a role in our future natural resource economy, to explore what the Maine Forest Collaborative could look like in rural schools, and to select a collaborative project question for the January 2019 MFC 1.0 Launch. 
 
Participants toured the Wheatland Lab, Foster Center for Student Innovation, Advanced Structures and Composites Center, Forest Bioproducts Research Institute, and the Old Town Canoe factory.
 
FINDINGS?
A successful and diverse natural resource economy will depend on a future workforce with a developed innovation mindset!
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MFC 1.0 Collaborative Project Question:
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"How can we use forest resources to positively impact local communities?"
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© 2016 by Rural Aspirations Project

Photos taken in Central Maine,  courtesy of Isaiah Soll