We looked at the YP movement is bigger than Roanoke, and as a result, a plethora of qualitative stories of people staying and returning are being told through more informal channels. Today, we look at how traditional media has helped influence community awareness and urgency of the issue.

On just programs we are involved in over the last 2 years, we have 90 unique tradional media exposures through print, TV and radio. Our programs have been featured in local, state and national outlets. That equates to nearly one per week. However, recently we have been seeing more unsolicited stories on the topic, which are being engrained into other stories and articles.

Perhaps the greatest example of this is that the Collegiate Times - the Virginia Tech student newspaper, wrote this unsolicited editorial saying student should seek opportunities to work in Roanoke. We had no knowledge this was going to hit and we could not have written it better ourselves.

Closely related has been the more than usual editorials written about the young adult movement from paid staffers and ordinary citizens. There have been countless refereneces to the movement in many other print, TV and radio content.

Ultimately, media outlets such as WDBJ7, City Magazine, The Roanoker and The Roanoke Times among others have been more than willing to partner on our programs and events such as the Reverse Job Fair and the Holiday Career and Lifestyle Fair. 

As a result, of this traditional media exposure, we have been able to identify and engage many others for the movement. We will talk more about that component in our next blog post tomorrow.

Yesterday we talked about “the movement is bigger than Roanoke” as the first of a seven-part series to examine the progress of attracting and retaining young adults in the region. As a result, and our second point, we are able to capture many “qualitative stories of people returning or staying in the region”.

For instance, through our Roanoke Connect database, we have received in excess of over 3000 unsolicited registrants looking for jobs in the region. This tells us that people want to be in Roanoke. Of that 3,000 about 20% are out-of-state with 45 of the 50 states represented.  A similar percentage or more are not from the greater RNR (Roanoke and New River Valleys) . From this database, we have been able to identify 70 success stories of people obtaining jobs through this online vehicle.

We have received numerous emails, testimonials, letters of support from a variety of ages and backgrounds. We have heard at business meetings the truly unique and powerful stories of how people came to Roanoke, which is now being captured at MyRoanokeStory.com.

The bottom line is these stories are being communicated through viral channels and more and more people are finding out about this hidden gem. This leads us to the third example of progress we will examine with the next post tomorrow…

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.

On Friday, January 18, the Virginia Tech student newspaper the Collegiate Times wrote this fantastic, unsolicited editorial urging Tech students to look at Roanoke and the New River Valleys to start their careers. The editorial, “Students should seek opportunities to work in Roanoke” could not have been written better.

This comes after at least 2 years of talking to students one-on-one, taking student groups to see downtown Roanoke, and putting on events such as the Roanoke and New River Valley Career and Lifestyle Fair on February 5. At no other time has student interest in wanting to stay in the region been so desired. Now, it is up to the local employers to take advantage of this opportunity and hire these students within the local workforce.

There are over 60,000 college students within a 50-mile radius of Roanoke, excluding Lynchburg. This distinction is very unique. We must capitalize on this new found publicity and close the deal on some of these students looking to stay.

If you know of any employers or students, tell them to come to the fair on Feb 5.

Here is yet another holiday event geared at attracting young adults when they are home for the holdiay season.

This is in line with what Roanoke is doing today with the 2nd Annual Roanoke Holiday Career and Lifestyle Fair. To get more details go to the website.

MyScoper.com is a new site created by several young entrepreneurs to better inform folks with what is going on in the region. Additionally, it provides a low cost way for local merchants to connect to a coveted young adult online community.

The site is fresh, vibrant and enjoyable. The event upload page is also very user friendly and I hope many will use it in promoting their events.

Please tell your friends about this site, in addition to RoanokeNights.com. These are solutions to the frustration of young adults in the region with trying to find out what is going on in Roanoke