Join West Virginia’s young professionals and leaders at the Capitol on January 28th in exploring policy issues important to attracting and retaining the next generation of West Virginians and discussing ideas for advancing the state’s communities and economy.
As 2014 came to a close, the Annual National Movers study announced that more residents are leaving West Virginia than are moving in. Overall the Mountain State ranked 5th on the list of the “Most Moved” from states last year. Generation West Virginia (GWV) is tired of our state being known as a place that people leave to find opportunities elsewhere and is working to change that. “Our Day at the Legislature is a great opportunity to join the conversation with industry experts and policymakers and be a part of making West Virginia a place where more of our generation chooses to stay,” says GWV Legislative and Policy Committee Co-Chair, Alissa Novoselick.
GWV’s Sixth Annual Day at the Legislature features Keynote Speaker, Rob Brown, a community and economic development expert from Maine, who will share lessons learned from Maine’s strategy for tackling our states’ common problem of generational flight. Rob was the founding Executive Director of Opportunity Maine, a statewide nonprofit focused on organizing young Mainers for better education and economic development policies in the state. Through a citizen initiative campaign, Opportunity Maine succeeded in creating a universal loan forgiveness program for those who earn their degree in Maine and continue to live and work here after graduation.
The rest of the day will focus on GWV’s four issue priorities identified as critical to better attracting and retaining young professionals in our state. “The diversity of our legislative priorities exemplifies how we all have a stake in choosing policies and initiatives to help keep the next generation here,” says GWV Legislative and Policy Committee Co-Chair M.R. Litman. “We see this as an opportunity to unite our siloed efforts to make meaningful progress on an issue that impacts so many fields and whose solution is in collaborating across party lines and disciplines.”
(1) Education and Workforce Development: A highly educated workforce is essential in attracting and creating the businesses and jobs needed to employ the next generation and keep them in West Virginia. The objective for this panel is to hear from experts from K-12 to higher education on what our greatest challenges in education and workforce development are and what solutions are important to prioritize to move toward a WV that is sought after by both employers and employees alike.
(2) Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Many young entrepreneurs leave the state due to a perception that West Virginia is not open to change, to innovation, to new ideas and solutions. The objective for this panel is to hear from entrepreneurs who have chosen West Virginia as a place to do business and learn about what our state can do more of to encourage more innovators to use their problem solving skills to find solutions for West Virginia.
(3) Diversity and Equality: This generation is one of the most diverse we’ve seen as a country. As this next generation make choices on where they live, diversity and how accepting a state is toward differences in race, gender, and background is a critical factor they consider. The objective for this panel is to share something thinking on the greatest challenges WV faces on the path toward becoming a place known for diversity and equality and suggestions for what’s needed to make this vision a reality.
(4) Technology and Interconnectivity: According to research by Future Workplace, flexible hours and generous telework policies are even more important to younger workers than is salary. With more and more commerce taking place online, access to broadband is critical in attracting young businesses and employees to the state. The objective for this panel is to learn more about the specific challenges for interconnectivity in West Virginia and hear about the solutions in progress.
Some of the panelists you’ll hear from on these issues include: Vice President for Legal, Government, and Entrepreneurial Engagement at WVU Rob Aslop, Senator Carmichael, Executive Director of Coalfield Development Corporation Brandon Dennison, Development Membership Specialist at ACLU-WV Doug Evans, Senator Ryan Ferns, Director of Sales at Smooth Ambler John Foster, President/CEO of Citynet Jim Morris, Delegate Amanda Pasdon, Senator Plymale, Former Delegate Meshea Poore, Delegate Pushkin, President of Fairness WV Andrew Schneider, Delegate Stephen Skinner, Reverend Matthew Watts, and more.
The event is free and lunch is included. Go to generationwv.org/day-at-leg to register by Monday, January 26th and to see the full speaker lineup. You can also find information there about reserving a hotel room on Generation West Virginia’s room block if you need lodging in Charleston January 27th.
Generation West Virginia will be having a Day at the Legislature Kick-Off at Bluegrass Kitchen with “Tappy Hour” featuring cocktails by Smooth Ambler and music by Blue Yonder. The event starts at 6pm on January 27th.
