 The scope of the meeting covered what the city has that is good,
what it needs, and how we can convey to the world outside Lincoln
that we are a community worth being a part of.The meeting was a
follow-up to the "Boomtown USA" meeting in October, hosted by the
Lincoln/Logan Chamber of Commerce. Patrick Doolin served as the
moderator of the discussions, with Craig Lindvahl of Creating
Entrepreneurial Opportunities on hand and Blinn Bates, local
attorney and member of the chamber's Young Professionals Network,
helping out.
Doolin offered a recap of the original event for those who were
unable to attend. The first meeting addressed the new generation of
business people and workers coming on the scene. The millennials are
those who are currently in the age span of 15 to 30 years old.
At that first presentation, Lindvahl and Jack Schultz, the author
of "Boomtown USA," explained the mindset of this new generation.
These are young people who are going to make their own way. They are
not necessarily led by money, but rather they are led by lifestyle
and opportunity to control their own future.
Doolin asked how many in the room were familiar with the article
published by NPR this week. Nearly all said they were. He asked how
many had attended this meeting as a result of that article, and a
few responded positively. Doolin said that it was not perhaps
Lincoln's proudest moment in the media, but it also sent a message.
Doolin said we as a community need to look not just at how we see
ourselves, but also how we are being perceived outside our
community. He said he had talked quite some time ago with Schultz
about how to move the community forward. He said he was told that if
the community wants to move forward, the community has to do it.
They cannot rely on the city government or other governmental forms
to do the work. The community has to do the work, and the role of
government is to help them.
Doolin told the group that not everything in Lincoln is broken.
There are very positive things going on in Lincoln, but the group
can discuss how to improve upon those things and come up with new
ideas.
Doolin asked, "Why do we care about millennials?" He expanded by
saying that if the new generation stays in our community and starts
businesses in our community, then that is growth, and growth is what
we want to see. He said, "We want to embrace the thought process,
the power, creativity and entrepreneurial attitude this generation
has." He said the new generation is conscientious about their place
in the world.
Doolin encouraged participation from the audience and said he
wanted to hear ideas from the group of what can be done to draw the
young people into the community. He asked, "How do we as a community
support our youth and make them a part of the community?"
When the floor was open, there were several thoughts and
suggestions from the audience. One of the first ideas that came out
was from Misty Bell. Bell currently lives in Mason City but lived in
Lincoln for many years. She has been involved with many local
organizations and is often present at discussions about improving
the community. Bell said that her daughter attended Illini Central
in Mason City, and there it is required that each student perform 40
hours of community service before they may graduate.
Bell thought this is something that could be done in Lincoln. She
said the service would get kids involved in community activities and
projects. It was also noted that the same requirement is being made
in Decatur schools.
Another attendee, Christy Alley, who is also very active in
Lincoln and is a part of the Lincoln & Logan County Development
Partnership, said the city needs more entertainment venues for kids.
She said the entertainment needed to be things that are trendy and
relevant to them. She suggested things such as running and fitness
centers for youth. Another guest also mentioned places like Internet
cafés.
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Doolin asked how many people in the room had kids. Several raised
their hands, and he told the group that was the starting point.
Those parents should talk to their kids and ask them what they would
like to have in Lincoln.
Lindvahl said that in every community, kids are going to tell you
there is nothing to do in their hometown. He punctuated this by
saying, "Even in Chicago, kids will tell you there is nothing there
for them."
He did go on to talk about a couple of things his hometown of
Effingham has done. One in a coffeehouse for young people, called
Joe Sippers Café. The café offers coffee, food, WiFi Internet and
live entertainment from local young people. Lindvahl said the place
is always busy, and the clientele is primarily young people.
He said an old farm supply store had also been transformed into a
facility called "180." It is sponsored by a local stage and offers
ball cages, a band area, wide-screen TVs and more. He said on a
Saturday night the 180 will attract 300 to 400 kids.
Another speaker said live music is a key component. She noted
that she had recently shelled out about $120 for her kids to attend
a concert out of town. Another person added to the comment, saying
she thought it was arts in general, that there weren't enough offers
geared specifically to the youth.
Tom McLaughlin of Lincoln College suggested that perhaps the high
school could offer an entrepreneurial course and a job-shadowing
program that would allow young people to see what is in Lincoln.
Brittney McLaughlin talked about who the real audience was. She
asked if we were working to keep kids here, or get them to come back
now that they have left, or both.
Lindvahl said the community wanted to do both. He told the group
that in every community, kids will say there is nothing here. Part
of the problem is they are ignorant of what goes on in their
community and in the local businesses. He said when you connect kids
with local business people, that will change how they perceive their
town.
Lindvahl said there is some nostalgia in the age group of 30 to
39. He said in that group, they leave home, but when it is time to
raise their families, they most often want to return home.
He also noted that with the colleges in town, there are kids here
who are from other areas, and we should want them to stay here after
college. He noted that it really is good for kids to leave home for
a while.
He said all the things brought up thus far were valuable and
should be focused on.
Doolin posed the question, if we have someone who moves away for
a few years, what will draw them back? He noted family was one, but
what else?
The discussion moved then to local amenities, as one guest
brought up that something as simple as a dog park would help make
Lincoln more attractive. Other topics included the development of a
bike trail, and the revival of a curbside recycling program that
could be an activity for kids in the home and would help the
community.
In the next segment of this series, the discussion will continue
on how to make Lincoln "user friendly" for a new generation.
[By NILA SMITH]
Past related article
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