August 17, 2016
In an effort to attract and keep the city’s young faces, the Mayor's Office of Public Engagement announced that it’s once again seeking out millennials for an advisory board.
The Millennial Recruitment Advisory Board, founded by the managing director’s Office last fall, is looking for 20 people between 23-34 to serve. Last year’s effort looked to recruit millennials into City Hall, but this time around, the focus is on “attracting and maintaining” an emerging younger population, said Nina Ahmad, deputy mayor of public engagement.
“A lot of millennials are here for school or for short-term commitments but we would love to see them here long-term,” she said.
The board will meet once a month and discuss ways to implement and improve policies that impact the city’s younger generation as well as find ways to keep millennials in the city and connect them to the community.
Ahmad said the office is open to anyone, but is looking to find environmentalists, activists, community organizers and more.
“We want the whole city be more cohesive and not to have so many sharp lines,” she said.
The idea makes sense – Philadelphia is becoming a top destination for millennials, according to a recent study.
Adobo, a real estate company, showed that the City of Brotherly Love was the 17th most desired city among 2,000 young people surveyed between 1982 and 1998. Surveyors considered job market, housing as well as schooling, where Philly scored poorly.
Reports from the U.S. Census Bureau show that while Philly’s population is declining, whatever growth it is experiencing has been headed by millennials.
Applications for the Millennial Advisory Committee are due by Sept. 15.
