Manatee County millennials want to be part of the decision-making
By CARL MARIO NUDI
Being 24 years old, Parrish resident Xavier Colon is considered part of the millennial generation.
This generation, born between 1980 and 2000, will be the future leaders in Manatee County, Colon said.
That is if they do not move away.
To try to reverse this trend, Colon and an organzied group of other millennials are holding a week of events to educate and draw attention to what they can do for the community.
MCon2017, starting with Cyclovia Bradenton on Sunday, March 26, at State College of Florida, 5840 26th St. W., Bradenton, is a weeklong conference to give millennials the opportunity to voice their opinions on issues affecting them.
Ogden Clark, also a millennial, said government and businesses needed to find ways to attract and retain young people in his age bracket.
“The region loses 2 to 3 percent of the millennial population a year,” said Clark, who works for the Manatee County Neighborhood Services Department as an AmeriCorps Vista/ambassador program coordinator.
“They’re graduating from college and finding economic opportunities elsewhere,” he said.
Clark and Colon, who also works for the county neighborhood services department as an administration specialist, are part of a group working to educate millennials on what opportunities are available in Manatee County for them after graduating high school or college.
The group, called Manatee millennial Movement or M3, has organized several events during MCon2017.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday, March 26, at 57th Avenue West between 26th and 34th streets will be closed to traffic for Cyclovia Bradenton.
People will be able to bike, skate, scooter, walk, or dance in the middle of the street without the worry of vehicle traffic.
“It’s a pedestrian-friendly event,” said Clark, one of the founders of M3. “It highlights the importance of alternative transportation needs for millennials.”
Other free activities to be held during Cyclovia include Zumba, a bike rodeo, yoga, and helmet fittings for children.
There also will be food trucks on hand for participants to purchase refreshments.
A bicycle route around the campus will be marked off along 34th Street West, 53rd Avenue West, 26th Street West and 60th Avenue West.
The main event of MCon2017 will be held later in the week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, March 30, at the gymnasium on the State College of Florida campus.
This daylong conference will have several presentations on topics including Internships, How Government Works, Adulting 101, Sustainability, Human Resources Trends, How to Get Involved with Your Community, Taking Care of the Mind, Body and Soul and more.
Clark said MCon2017 will provide young professionals and college students information on how to connect with community groups that are working to make positive changes in Manatee County.
“We will also try to leverage young people to become active in the community,” he said. “The parks developed today will be the parks of their kids, so they should have a say in how they are designed.”
At the conference, participants will have the opportunity to explain why they leave the area after graduation.
“Is it jobs, nightlife, housing?” Clark said.
M3 wants to know so millennials can affect changes that will keep them here.
“We realize it’s not going to change over night, but (we) have to start the conversation,” he said. “We tell young people they may not know it, but decisions made today will affect them in the future.”
There also will be food trucks, a voter registration table and a job fair at the conference.
The organizers are hoping for a large turnout of college students because it is being held on the SCF campus.
A Sip and Social event, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce Manatee Young Professionals, will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. after the MCon2017 conference at Darwin’s Brewing Company, 803 17th Ave W., Bradenton.
“This will give SCF students a chance to connect with young professionals in a relaxed atmosphere,” Clark said. “And they can learn more about employment in the private sector.”
On Friday, March 31, there will be another opportunity for young people to gather and enjoy each other’s company.
The Realize Bradenton’s Music in the Park will be held at Riverwalk Amphitheater from 6 to 8 p.m., along the Manatee River near downtown Bradenton.
The band Seranation, a favorite of local music fans, will be playing.
“We want to showcase that there are fun things to do in Manatee County,” Clark said.
The week of activities will end with a Day of Service event from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 1, at Lincoln Middle School, 305 17th St. E., Palmetto.
This will be a hands-on learning experience, as practiced at Lincoln Middle School, where participants will learn about urban gardening, hydroponics, Earth Boxes, healthy eating, tools, seeds, livestock and more.
The Urban Farming and Future Farmers of America programs at Lincoln teach the students about agriculture and how it affects the community.
Millennials participating in the Day of Service event, organized by Cassandra Decker, community engagement coordinator for United Way of Manatee County, will interact with the students.
“It’s a way to give back to the community and to connect with outside organizations, such as United Way,” Clark said.
M3 was started in January 2015 when several county employees met to discuss issues affecting their future.
“The administration started looking at (the) issue of an aging county workforce,” Clark said. “Between 2015 and 2020, 73 percent of the county employees will retire or be eligible to retire and will need to be replaced.”
This means that the county workforce could possibly have a large turnover of employees, and having to fill those vacant jobs with millennials.
But Colon and Clark pointed out millennials are leaving the area because of several issues, including lack of affordable housing, transportation, and interesting activities for their age group.
Colon, who grew up in Parrish, said these are some of the issues that affect millennials north of the Manatee River.
He said there are some affordable housing opportunities in Palmetto, but easy transportation to a job and access to other activities are not practical.
“We need improvements to be able to live, work, and play north of the river,” Colon said.
Although, he said, some positive things are happening in North Manatee County.
Palmetto has been working on a multi-modal trail system, and just completed the Green Bridge portion of that project, the University of Florida graduate pointed out.
Also, Manatee County has been working on creating a greenway trail from Parrish to Palmetto.
Colon said this would be a great asset for him.
“I would love to ride my bike to work,” he said.
But the county government and their partners in the private sector need to consider ways to connect people along the U.S. 41 urban corridor from Palmetto to South County.
This is where Clark and Colon think millennials can be an influence.
“M3’s mission is to educate all millennials,” Colon said. “We can improve the area by working together.”
For more information about the M3 group and its activities, visit www.mymanatee.org/m3, or check out M3’s Twitter handle @weare_m3.
Registration for the MCon2017 conference at SCF is free and available online at mymanatee.org.
The idea of Cyclovia started in Bogotá, Columbia and there is a very informative video online at vimeo.com/12564994.