Approximately 25 young leaders, including Sarina Otaibi, ‎Director of Communications and Engagement at Clean Up the River Environment in Granite Falls, Minn. (left), and Rebecca Haider, Data Services and Outreach Coordinator at the Center for Small Towns in Morris, Minn. (right), gathered Sept. 8 in Washington, D.C., to learn about framing rural issues in a way that grabs the attention of policymakers and grant gatekeepers. The event was a precursor to the National Rural Assembly. (photo by Shawn Poynter, The Daily Yonder)