Updayton Releases Report on Youth-Driven Economic Success
June 24th, 2009 | Published in Recent Press Release
Results of year-long survey, focus groups, and Summit research provide community leaders with strategic plan to attract and retain young talent
Dayton, Ohio – In order to avoid the high cost of frequent employee turnover, company leaders are encouraged to get their young, college educated staff engaged in the community. To keep young people engaged, the region is challenged to provide a vibrant, urban core and make it easy to access both entertainment and career information. These ideas sound intuitive, but now community leaders have quantitative data to demonstrate that decisions like these provide economic stability for the region.
These assertions, and many more, are supported with data drawn from over a year of in-depth research conducted by updayton, the volunteer organization dedicated to connecting young people to the region. A long-term survey, a series of three focus groups, and the Young Creatives Summit gave updayton the means to discover what young people need in a region and how Dayton may be lacking.
Young people are a necessary resource to economic strength in the region. The Dayton region has enormous potential for this resource based on its numerous universities and colleges, besting the State of Ohio overall and even the “college town” City of Columbus in the proportion of young people attending college. However, once they get their degrees in hand, young people are fleeing the region – opting instead for cities with more youthful appeal. In order for the region to succeed, we must reverse this trend.
The Updayton Year One Report provides civic and business leaders with the tools to better understand the needs of this young demographic. Major assertions include the need to:
• Better connect university students with internships and job opportunities;
• Cultivate diversity in order to create a more metropolitan feel in the region;
• Empower young people to play a more meaningful role in regional planning so they are vested in the success of the region; and
• Create a walkable, vibrant, and exciting centralized location where young people feel welcomed to participate in entertainment options.
The full report presents complete quantitative data, ideas offered by young professionals, recommendations for community leaders, plus information on four projects already implemented by updayon. The report is available online at www.updayton.com.
