Teen Gains Key Skills During Baileys Internship

For a 19-year-old Glouster resident, Rural Action’s high school internship program has been life-changing.

“This job could set me on a whole new direction,” Dallas Taylor says of his internship with the Baileys Trail System. “It’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Rural Action is partnered with Building Bridges to Careers (BB2C) on the internship program, which is funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission and other donors. During his internship, Dallas is telling stories via video using a vlog (video blog) style. He will also learn how to create more polished videos under the mentorship of Emmy-winning filmmaker Evan Shaw.

“If we can train students like Dallas to make promotional videos, he could earn at least part of his living from the trail system and forest through which it runs,” Rural Action Environmental Education Director Joe Brehm says. “If we can train other students to guide professional hikes, lead mountain biking workshops, or run bike shops and cafes, they can earn a living rooted in a healthy landscape.”

Read more about the program and Dallas’ internship in Jasmine Facun’s blog post on the Baileys Trail System site.