What you can do to improve economic opportunities for the young

A first step: Various chambers of commerce have instituted organizations to create a more hospitable environment for young professionals. But there’s no quick marketing fix to the youth drain problem. A good start would be for local governments and businesses to recommit themselves to funding the arts, which would provide a hipper Tampa Bay and keep creatives here instead of sending them fleeing to New York or Austin. Plus, the arts have a tremendous economic impact, one that generally stays in the area.

Resources

Emerge Tampa Bay, emergetampa.com; St. Pete Young Professionals; HYPE (Hispanic Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs), hypetampabay.org; HYPE (Helping Young Professionals Emerge) Pinellas, hypepinellas.org; download a copy of Creative Tampa Bay’s “Young & Restless” study of young professionals in the region.

This article appears in Feb 20-26, 2008.