ISO

The Columbia Association wants YOU.

Actually, from what I know about who is reading the blog, probably not you. Or me. And that’s a good thing. Let me try that again.

The Columbia Association wants Millennials!

We are seeking volunteers between the ages of 17 and 35 to be part of the new Millennials Work Group. This is a unique opportunity for younger Columbians to make their voices heard on the kinds of programs, activities and venues that should be offered in Columbia — and to express their ideas about how to attract younger residents to engage with and serve the community.

This is a great idea. I have long been clamoring for more outreach to younger residents.  (Did I miss their outreach to Gen X’ers?) The positive response to the children’s dance parties at the Chrysalis this summer showed how eager young parents were for new local programming. It’s important to include people like them at the table.

I had to smile when I saw the age range listed because both of my daughters fit the description. I wonder if I can convince them to jump in and have their say? I’ll have to run the ad by both of them and get their feedback. After all, since I have my own focus group of two, I can get to work right away in gathering some useful data...

Just kidding.

Reaching out to younger folks is awesome. Using social media to make the pitch is smart. I have one lingering question on my mind. In the past, CA has been known for believing that people should just come to them. They haven’t been exactly anxious to find where the people are and go there. So, aside from a push on Facebook (and perhaps other social media channels) how are they working to connect with Columbia residents from age 17 to 35 who aren’t already connected with them?

In other words, are we willing to go out and find Millennials in their natural habitats? A workgroup made up of people who already know about CA is not going to have the depth of one that includes a wider cross-section of residents.  The folks at CA may already have a plan to do this. I promise I will follow up to find out.

In the meantime, where do you suggest that they go to connect with younger residents? If they really had to get off social media and leave CA headquarters, where would you send them to meet up with Columbians aged 17-35?  I know one place that wouldn’t be a good bet: Village elections. But that’s another story altogether.

One more thing: the stock photo they used is just plain creepy but I can’t quite put my finger on why. I’m open to your ideas on that.

Three cheers to CA for looking to bring younger folks in. I hope this effort is wildly successful. I wonder what will happen when they say things that older residents don’t want to hear...