Youth Leaving the Area
6/15/2006 (Source: News Channel 34)

But our local economy also is facing an alarming trend: young people leaving our area in large numbers.

New census numbers say that from 1990 to 2004, the number of young adults in Tioga County dropped by 42 percent, and in Broome, by more than 30 percent.

The median age is up too: to 38 years old, from 33. NewsChannel 34's Marisa Brahney shows us how one local program is trying to reverse this startling trend.

Steve Gotz changed his plans.

Gotz says, “Originally, I was going to come up, go to school, and then head out of the area. But now that I see what's going on.”

He's a Binghamton University student interning at BioLife Solutions. BioLife is an Owego company started by BU and Cornell grads, that specializes in storing cells and organs for research and transplants.

Steve's hoping the summer stint will lead to a permanent job placement here. But based on what census numbers, and other students say, that choice makes Steve a minority.

Dayna Johnson says, “I was more inclined to move somewhere down south. It's warmer, and I have family down there.”

Matthew Stephens says however, “Binghamton's a nice area and everything, so maybe take advantage of as much as I can here, but then, move on to somewhere new.”

Gotz says however, These are things we have all heard before coming from college students. They're focused on campus, there's nothing in the region for them.”

So what changed Steve's mind? A BU initiative, called CIC2020 (KICK2020). The program's goal is simple: by the year 2020, keep 20 percent of BU students here in our area, once they leave the classroom.

Dr. Diane Crews says, “I think it's not just a matter of stopping a brain drain, it's a matter of capitalizing on a brain gain.”

Dr. Diane Crews, who oversees the program, says to successfully retain college grads, the area has to focus on opportunities we do have: universities, health care systems, small businesses: not the ones that have disappeared.

Crews says, “I don't want to say that the loss of manufacturing jobs has been trivial, but I want to say that the economy is robust in many ways, and to just focus on one segment of the economy is miopic.”

Gotz says, “There's a lot of intellectual capital locked up in the region. And, it's the university's responsibility, the politicians' responsibility and the business leaders' responsibilities to try to take that intellectual capital and transfer it into the community.”

And transform the aging community: for a more viable economic future.

One of CIC2020's upcoming programs is a Venture Capitalist Day in September. The program will bring in companies from across the country that have money to invest in start-up businesses, and show them what our area has to offer.

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