05/08/2026
Dear Friends of Your Town Alabama
Across Alabama, small towns are asking hard questions: Why are young people leaving? Where are the jobs? Why does it feel like no one is paying attention? Your Town Alabama exists to help answer those questions by helping people discover and build on the assets already in their own backyards.
Each year, YTA brings together individuals from communities across the state for a 2½-day workshop at Camp McDowell. Participants are divided into teams and challenged to reimagine a fictional town through design and planning. They collaborate, debate, sketch, and present their ideas to the whole group. It’s learning by doing, and every year, the teams bring something different.
If there is one word to describe the Your Town Alabama class of 2026, it is passionate. As everyone arrived, a restless energy filled the air, a mix of excitement and curiosity, seeking direction. By the end of the second day, teams were still going long past their scheduled time, with no signs of slowing down.
On the third day, there were presentations. We met Ms. V from Veranda and Mee Maw Violet from Calfuray Mills. We learned that a blueberry branch signifies unity, that everyone loves a town that knows how to party, and that you can design an entire community around an artichoke. Their towns were fictional and fanciful, but the care was completely real. These teams had built places they believed in, and they wanted everyone to know why their town was special.
That passion is not a footnote to community and economic development; it is part of the foundation. This work is hard. What sustains people on that long journey isn’t a spreadsheet; it’s joy. YTA is one of the few places that treats that belief not as a soft idea but as an essential tool.
We are grateful to our generous sponsors and partners whose support makes this work possible. And thank you to everyone who joined us at the workshop this year. Your town is lucky to have your passion and joy.
With gratitude and enthusiasm,
Matt Leavell, RA LEED AP
Board Chair, Your Town Alabama
