Editor:
I was pleased to see Jenny Wagler's article "Where are the Coast's visionaries?" in your April 2 edition.
We are not retaining our young adults or attracting them to the Coast, because there is little opportunity for meaningful employment for them here. This conclusion was supported by the research conducted by and on behalf of Sunshine Coast Community Foundation (SCCF) last year which culminated in its Vital Signs report published last October (see www.SCCfoundation.com). And there did not appear to be any initiatives being taken by our community to rectify that situation, a situation which is not only unfortunate for our youth, but disastrous in the long term for the community.
As a result, earlier this year SCCF formed a committee (Attracting, Retaining and Employing Young Coast Residents) with a view to facilitating a workshop of stakeholders comprised of representatives of local governments, businesses and others. It is hoped the workshop will arrive at a consensus that youth employment is a key issue on the Coast, will commit to addressing the issue and will formulate a process to convert the initiative into an action plan.
Stakeholders have been contacted and the workshop is planned for early May. Several sponsors have offered SCCF financial support to stage the workshop and retain an independent facilitator.
We expect "Coast visionaries" will be in attendance at the workshop.
Peter Bogardus
Chair, SCCF
