TP_4834 To Go or To Stay? Rural Impacts on the
Perceptions of “Failure to Launch” Youth

TP_4834 To Go or To Stay? Rural Impacts on the
Perceptions of “Failure to Launch” Youth

Breanne Kenna

Failure to launch is an increasingly significant issue youth are currently experiencing due to delays in economic independency. Failure to launch involves not being able to leave your community, or leaving and having to come back. The concept of failure to launch goes hand in hand with lifecycle milestones disruptions. Lifecycle milestones are important events in a youth’s life that impact their development, which can be disrupted due to a lack of resources. A review of the literature and re-analysis of a research study conducted in 2013 consisting of interviews with rural youth in the Haliburton County, City of Kawartha Lake, and Peterborough County about migration decisions was conducted. The current research project will determine how failure to launch and lifecycle milestone disruptions are impacting today’s youth, families, and communities.
The impacts of failure to launch and lifecycle milestone disruptions are particularly relevant in a rural setting, and the current research project will look specifically at how these phenomena can be addressed in Haliburton County. The impacts found during the research consist of mental health issues, family strain, financial distress, long lasting effects on the economy, and diminishing rural youth population. All these impacts need to be addressed to mitigate the impact failure to launch is having on rural communities. The report will end with recommendations on how to mitigate failure to launch specifically in Haliburton County.