Young adults want to stay in Trent Hills but face barriers, says youth survey

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The full interview with bonus material

There was a tradition not that long ago that once you graduated high school in Northumberland County, there was a mad rush to see how quickly and how far you could getaway. For some, it was university or college. Then, it was off to a job in a big city. There was always a sense of moving away. You would always hear politicians and community leaders bemoaning the lack of youth and young families living in the county.

Yet, a survey of young adults in Trent Hills just found out something shocking. That tradition is not necessarily true these days. In fact, a majority young adults really want to stay. There are even some who want to return after university. They want to work and live in Northumberland. They want to be part of the community where they grew up.

This was only one of the more surprising things discovered by Heidi Schaeffer, a consultant working for the Campbellford Seymour Community Foundation. It is part of an ongoing initiative to reach out and integrate young adults 18 to 29 year-olds into the community. And, while the impact of the pandemic has slowed efforts to make progress, the group is active and has lots of plans for the next few months.

Here is my interview with Heidi Schaeffer, as she talks about a survey of young adults from Trent Hills.

Originally aired: Nov. 6, 2020

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