Changing mindsets to keep Sudbury’s youth

Many of Sudbury’s educated young adults have a strong desire to stay in, or return to, the city. Many appreciate the city’s beauty and potential, yet sometimes, the prospect of finding better career opportunities causes them to leave the region. Still, the lakes, trail systems, sporting activities, and family life remain among Sudbury’s top draws. Recently, Bruce Mau, a Sudbury-born designer, described strategies for reimaging and redesigning Sudbury’s natural landscape to create a “city-within-a-park,” a place that is welcoming and inviting to youth.

Among Sudbury’s young adults, you’ll find globetrotters, master’s and PhD educated, and professional athletes who share a common concern: a disappointment in finding meaningful employment in the city. They voice the need for change, not necessarily in Sudbury’s physical landscape – which has radically improved – but also calling for change in the mindset of Sudbury’s more mature employment “gatekeepers.”

Unfortunately, the message communicated to young adults following a job interview is often something like, “We appreciate your interest, but we selected someone with 20+ years of experience…” This means organizations are not engaging young job seekers, nor providing them with those first, critical opportunities so desperately needed to launch a career. Instead, they are abandoning the collective potential of Sudbury’s youth – directly opposing Mau’s vision for Sudbury.

The Sudbury youth know its beauty and its potential; they just need the opportunity to stay.

Michelle K. Brunette is currently enjoying time at home with her new baby and will return to her role as an international student recruiter at Laurentian University in late summer 2010.

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