Something special happens on the streets of Diller (population 256) every summer. A convoy of kids marches along Commercial Street, the town’s main drag, casting an analytical look at every building, every slab of sidewalk, and anything else in their field of vision. They are on a mission, one assigned by the Diller Youth Serviceship Camp.
These young Nebraskans, grades one through six, are looking for opportunity and foundations for future achievements. Things that are obvious to them, but obscure to those accustomed to the same sights they’ve seen for decades.
Leading the group of young surveyors might be a Diller Community Foundation Fund (DCFF) Hometown Intern, such as Jadyn Schultis, who has co-created the Diller Youth Serviceship Camp with other volunteers for the past three years. The camp’s goals are many but interconnected. Primarily, organizers want to foster a sense of community awareness and service in campers, and through that work they hope to encourage families to become more involved in the community. They also hope to elevate youth voices by letting them know their opinions are valued.
“Throughout my experience designing and implementing this camp, I have been given the opportunity to see Diller through multiple lenses,” Schultis said. “I get to see firsthand how my work as an intern has allowed our FAC to reach out to the youth of our community and ensure their voices are heard and they see their value to our community.”
The camp is an exercise in making the invisible visible. The day begins with a celebration of Diller’s many assets, preparing kids to be ready to identify them during their walks through the town’s streets later in the day. Among their stops are the Bank Museum, where they explore Diller’s history; the volunteer fire department; and the opera house that the community is restoring and rehabilitating for all to enjoy. They aren’t just pointing out these assets, though; they are dreaming about how to build new ideas alongside them, weaving their own influence into Diller’s unfolding story. They share ideas as a group, then decide which dream to tackle.
Campers bring some of those dreams to life, such as the vibrantly painted trash barrels in the city park. These young leaders have also taken charge of caring for flowers planted in containers throughout the park, wheeling a wagon around the path and watering every day. Each year brings a new opportunity for the youth of Diller to inspire change, and adults in the community are all in on empowering their voices today, tomorrow, and beyond. For Schultis, it’s a reminder that Nebraska is a place where young people can build their dreams.
“I know that in my future, I will settle down in a community in Greater Nebraska,” she said. “I have grown up in a small town, and I value the experiences that it has given me. After college, I hope to teach in a small town somewhere in Nebraska.”
