Communities can’t grow or survive without young people

As a community, we make decisions every day, which affect our future.

Some of those decisions are big, such as building a new pool, having a new employer start up a business or renovating a downtown building.

Others are smaller, such as whether to have Christmas lights lining the rooftops of downtown businesses or welcoming signs at the edge of town, just so people know where they are.

And there are those decisions that affect the feel of the community. Do people say “Hi” as you walk down the street? Are the attitudes of the decision-makers in the community encouraging? Is the environment one where it is easy to get things done or are there barriers in place?

Do people feel welcomed and involved? Do young people feel like they are needed and wanted? Do people want to make things happen?

All of those decisions - both intentional and unintentional - add up to one thing…what kind of community we want and ultimately will have.

For some, they simply want a retirement community, where it’s quiet, where there’s not much to do because you go to bed at 7 p.m., and where there is no reason to make investments in new playgrounds or wedding venues or preschools because older people don’t need those things.

And even if the goal is to create a retirement community, that can’t be done without one vital ingredient: young people.

Without young people, who is going to provide medical services? Without young people, who is going to own and operate our local businesses, providing a wider tax base? Without young people, who is going to teach in our school systems (and populate them with kids)?

And without young people, who is going to provide that youthful energy to get things done?

While a retirement community may sound ideal, a community can’t last without young people.

So ultimately we need to be making decisions which attract and keep our young people.

The consequences of past decisions are evident if you are out and about in the community.

As the race director for the local fitness series, I see how many people are signing up in the 10-year age divisions at each race. And the 20-29 men is always the lowest number of participants - if not completely non-existent - at each race. It could mean they don’t have the desire to run a 5K, or they don’t have the money to register, or they aren’t fit enough after four years of a college lifestyle. Yes, this is purely anecdotal, but we simply don’t have many in that age group living here yet, if ever.

We make decisions to do - or not do - things which influence where our young people will decide to live. How do I know? Because my kids, along with their friends, are those young people making these life choices.

One of my sons moved back last year after graduating from college, making the conscious decision to move from Omaha to McCook. I also recently talked to another 20-something who moved back to the area to teach. Both have found employment and both have found housing that is adequate for the time being. But both noted that there is little for their age group to get excited about and your 20s should be one of the most exciting times of your life.

Think back to when you were in your 20s and for some, this may be a stretch. What did you do with your free time? Go dancing? Go to the soda foundation? Simply hang out with your friends? Are those options available here?

Successful communities make investments in their young people. They create parks with trees they likely never sat under. They create programs that encourage young people to start a business. They created an environment where young people want to get involved, where they feel welcomed, where they feel needed.

If we want our community to not just survive but also thrive, our young people need us and we need our young people.