This article, appearing in the January 2012 edition of Urbanicity, is the continuation of the piece that appeared in the December 2011 edition, which is also posted on this blog under the date of December 6, 2011.In the last issue of Urbanicity, I discussed the challenges Hamilton faces in regards to maintaining young population demographics. To recap, Youth was defined as being between late-Generation X, Generation Y (Millenials), and any group thereafter (roughly 15-40 years of age.) To summarize the challenges, these included a trending net-out migration of youth, a significant decline in the amount of Hamilton post-secondary institution graduates remaining in the Golden-Horseshoe region, and, as a result, a continually increasing average age of Hamilton’s population (which is already above the provincial average).
Discussion surrounding these challenges has occurred largely throughout the past decade, but in recognition of certain trends, has been particularly heightened in the last five years.
Such discussions have revolved around various research, reports, demographic assessments and studies of specific youth cohorts – Students, At-Risk-Youth, etc. – that have been assembled by various agencies and stakeholders in the Hamilton community. Among the most recent, was a landscape assessment, compiled by Workforce-Planning Hamilton (WPH, formerly the Hamilton Training Advisory Board, HTAB) that aimed at identifying the various informational resources, and community partners, present in the Hamilton area. An additional goal of this report was to serve as a foundation to support the potential construction of a comprehensive Hamilton youth strategy.
This WPH report was defined by four principles that functioned as mutually inclusive categories under which the identified reports and partners were grouped.
The first, Attraction, implies positioning Hamilton as a destination of choice for youth through the active refinement of message and effective execution of communications necessary to attract youth to Hamilton.
Retention implies the maintenance of youth demographics in Hamilton, whether home-grown, transplant or boomerang. Though this item is primarily related to job creation and job communication, it also touches upon ensuring that youth have a positive experience in their interaction(s) with the city, and that the city offers comfortable, yet vibrant lifestyle opportunities.
Engagement implies the assurance that youth feel actively involved in the city, whether through democratic processes, civic volunteerism, or other opportunities to be directly involved in the development of the city’s communities.
Lastly, Development concerns defining and creating opportunities along a continuum of youth skill growth. This recognizes the importance and interconnectedness of everything from At-Risk Youth educational attainment to networking and mentor/protégé relationships for Young Professionals.
To clarify, many existing, Google-able, Youth Strategies are pillared solely by Attraction and Retention. In squaring this off, with the addition of Engagement and Development, the intention was to acknowledge that though attracting and retaining skilled youth is important, there are fundamental social issues in Hamilton, and ensuring the healthy development and active engagement of all youth are equally important.
Despite the work done to date, and the knowledge that has been amassed, there has been a disproportionate amount of co-ordinated and large-scale cooperative action. This is, of course, aside from disparate items put forth by various identified partners. Such examples include October 2011’s Hamilton HIVE: Hive X conference, Hamilton’s first conference for Young Professionals, or the continuous work performed by those looking to open opportunities for At-Risk Youth.
It should be said that this is not due to the absence of a desire to take such actionable steps. Rather, this is more correctly a result of equally, the absence of both available resources to carry out projects related to these topics, and the absence of an existing point-person or office, clarifying the vision, and tying all the strings (resources and partners) in Hamilton’s potential youth strategy community together.
A cursory glance at the various implemented Youth Retention and Attraction Strategies across Canada illustrates that, without such a point-person/team, the potential for success is greatly reduced. Creating a Province of Choice: A Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy for Newfoundland and Labrador, arguably one of the world’s most comprehensive and effectively coordinated strategies, was fully funded and overseen by the Government of Newfoundland, with the directive for its development coming directly from then Premier Danny Williams.
Much closer to home, the Niagara Workforce-Planning Board has also established its own Youth Strategy development project and office, Next Niagara, with leadership on the project coming from full-time coordinator Vanessa Bilenduke.
It is precisely this that is required to pull such a strategy together and then follow through on its execution, top-down leadership, operating in a much more horizontal, and grassroots capacity. A person or office fully enabled with the resources and financial capabilities necessary to carry out both the research and actionable steps required to produce the most direly needed results.
Moreover, such an office should have direct ties to the City of Hamilton, if not exist directly under its auspices, with appropriate arms length capacities. Such moves are crucial in ensuring both the department’s capabilities, and in symbolically showing that Hamilton, and its leaders, are forward-thinking and dedicated to ensuring a flourishing future, by making correct decisions for the youth here and now.
Complacency in comprehensive youth strategy development is currently the norm among municipalities in both Canada and most western developed nations. To view it as an item that is subordinate to other, more common economic development focuses, is to myopically view the world and ignore its undeniable interconnectedness. If ensuring economic prosperity is like composing a symphony, then the assurance of a large pool of engaged, and well-developed youth is the tempo upon which the instruments of industry, opportunity, and lifestyle rely.
