I was asked recently by a civic group to give an update on Roanoke’s young adult movement. I came up with 7 examples of progress and I plan to address each over the next week. Here is the first.

Progress #1 - “The movement is bigger than Roanoke”

Across the nation, groups are forming at a rapid pace. I subscribe to a Google alert that shares all blog posts and traditional media stories showcasing all of the great work YPs are doing. It is refreshing to know so many young people are getting active and involved in the movement. Therfore, I believe we benefit from this shared synergy in other communities.

I also believe we have been able to communicate and partner with some of the national and international gurus on this topic. Richard Florida of the Creative Class and his staff has been very helpful on a number of fronts.  Jason Dorsey, the Gen Y guy, has also carried the torch for us on a number of fronts. Serial entrepreneur and 22-year-old Cameron Johnson has given a lot of his time to enhance entrepreneurship among young professionals and the business community as a whole. The list goes on and on. These advocates and champions have made our efforts more known and respected.

As a result, of this mass movement and partnerships, there have been a number of unique stories and that is where we will pick up with our next post tomorrow.