AscendRural Regional Symposium 2025

About the Symposium

The AscendRural Fall Symposium was held on August 26, 2025, in Walker, Minnesota. Rural community leaders, economic development professionals, and innovation experts came together for a day of shared learning, insight, and forward momentum.

Designed as a collaborative forum, the symposium featured updates on ongoing initiatives, in-depth reports on pilot programs, and key findings from AscendRural’s work to improve rural well-being.

2025 SYMPOSIUM RECAP

Session Highlights

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Scenes from the 2025 Symposium

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Event materials

What people are saying

  • "I really enjoyed it and holding these types of events in rural communities does reinforce some of the logistical issues when working with rural areas."

    — AscendRural Symposium attendee

  • "I had a very strong connection to the second day with the information presented regarding youth resilience. I spent decades mentoring, teaching and coaching youths when my kids were young. I wish I had the insights then that I learned this week."

    — AscendRural Symposium attendee

  • "Hearing from the first responder stakeholders on their unique challenges was priceless. It was really helpful to hear about what worked, what didn't, and what could be done better. This is info we will fold into our approach."

    — AscendRural Symposium attendee

A message from AscendRural’s Executive Director

Dear Symposium attendees,

Thank you for being a part of AscendRural's first Regional Symposium. Your presence and engagement made the day both meaningful and inspiring.

Three rural innovation themes rose to the top of our conversations:

  • Start now! Acting, even in small steps, creates momentum and valuable learning.

  • Prioritize affordability and build for the hardest to engage.

  • Build with community. True sustainability comes from approaches designed in partnership with those we serve.

Together, they form a clear call to action for our work ahead.

We're deeply grateful for your time and partnership, and we look forward to continuing this journey with you to improve and strengthen rural well-being.

With gratitude,

Melissa Kjolsing

Contact us

Have questions or want to get in touch with us? Please fill out the form below or email us at info@ascendrural.org.