The Aspirations Incubator is a long-term comprehensive mentoring model designed to bolster and sustain rural youth aspirations for post-secondary education. The model is rooted in nurturing a sense of belonging for rural youth through building individual and community relationships both inside and outside of the school environment. Following the successful completion of a 6-year pilot to test implementation of the Aspirations Incubator model in 5 rural Maine communities, we will share information about the model, and provide reflections from program and school staff from the pilot sites about what worked and what was challenging during the pilot implementation process. Workshop participants will learn about the Aspirations Incubator and what readiness factors need to be in place in order to implement a model like the Aspirations Incubator in their own communities.
