CCS graduates visit Imperial as part of nonprofit youth program

Mike Smith and Andrew Norman are Chase County Schools’ graduates in 2001 and 1998, respectively.
These two young men chose a mutual path to help Nebraska youths and co-founded Rabble Mill, a Nebraska nonprofit that works to create “significant moments of impact” for youths.
They are also co-executive directors of the company that has several extended branches that benefit youths in the Omaha and Lincoln area and beyond.
These branches include The Bay Skate Park in Lincoln.
“Kids can only dream as big as they’ve seen. Nebraska’s urban-rural divide can make it difficult for youth to meet new people and have new, life-changing experiences,” Smith said.
This summer, a Rabble Mill pilot program called Good Living Camp was put into place to bridge this gap from skateparks to state parks, he added.
Good Living Camp is a five-day cultural immersion experience for middle school-aged youth from a handful of Nebraska cities and towns that took place from July 26-30.
GLC is intended to build community and foster friendships between urban and rural Nebraska kids interested in skateboarding, music, digital media and art, Smith said.
Each night of the GLC tour,  the group camped outdoors in tents learning valuable life skills and lessons along the way, he said.
Last Wednesday, the Rabble Mill-Good Living Camp staff and 27 youths from urban and rural Nebraska towns stopped in Imperial during their five-day tour to gain some insight into what rural areas can offer.
Brextin Moreno and Jaxsen Villarreal of Imperial traveled to Lincoln at the beginning of the week to join the Good Living group and be part of the five-day tour.
Learning about our land
Rural education began here with a visit to Wine Glass Ranch Wednesday morning where Logan Pribbeno talked to the group about “Carbon Cowboys” which entailed the use of cover crops to regenerate the soil to mitigate effects of climate change.
To further explain, an article from Arizona State University called “Carbon Nation” explained how farmers and ranchers regenerate their soils which makes their animals healthier and their operations more profitable.
Robust soils enable rainwater to sink into the earth rather than run off so water retention helps ranches to be much more resilient in drought.
Cattle ranchers who work with nature create healthy soils, ecosystems, animals and food in the process.
“It’s a powerful story of how nature works—get the soils healthy and the whole system rocks,” he said.
This educational stop was enlightening to youths and leaders alike, but especially to urban-raised youths who have not had opportunities to learn about life in rural Nebraska.
Skate park, ice cream, lake
Following lunch, the GLC  group set up tents for shade at the Imperial Skatepark for some fun skate activities despite the 100 plus temperatures.
Town youths were invited to join them for some free instruction on skateboarding.
Smith, Norman and Matthew Ratcliff, a staff member of Rabble Mill and skateboarding manager at The Bay, provided the free lessons.
As an added fun and a non-traditional educational perk, youths were exposed to some instruction with digital art and digital music to broaden their creative horizons.
Following activities at the skatepark, the Rabble Mill group descended on Sweden Creme for some much needed ice cream treats.
“We filled the entire dining room area,” Norman laughed. “We wanted to show the kids where Mike and I used to work (Sweden Creme) when we were in high school.”
Following the cold treats, the group was transported by bus to Enders Lake for some fun water sports before setting up tents for their night stay, said Norman.
“After dark, we all sat around a campfire, talking and enjoying our camaraderie on our trip,” he added.
Norman said it was a celebration of each other’s similarities and unique differences—which is the core value of Rabble Mill.
Last Thursday, they traveled to McCook for activities there, then on to Grand Island the next day to wrap up the program tour before returning to Lincoln.
An interesting fact
The Good Living Camp is a pilot program under Rabble Mill.
GLC is actually a result of the Good Living Tour program that went from 2015 - 2018.
“In 2015, the Good Living Tour began with providing the band entertainment for the first Smokin’ On Broadway concert,” Norman said.
“The Smokin’ On Broadway committee was formed and worked together with GLT to add other activities and events around the concert that first year,” said Tyler Pribbeno, Imperial Community Development Director.
Norman said GLT provided the entertainers for the Smokin’ On Broadway concerts through 2018.
“Beginning in 2019, we turned over the reins for Smokin’ On Broadway concerts to the committee,” said Norman.
“Many people helped with the planning of this GLC tour, but  we want to say a special thank you to the Nebraska Community Foundation, Beyond School Bells program, the Sherwood Foundation, Cabela’s and the Imperial Community Foundation Fund,” Norman said.
These organizations made this week-long pilot program possible, he added.