Time to Rekindle Our Buzz

Buzz is a term coined by a group of Regina young people who were asked 20 years ago to develop an economic development strategy designed to convince young adults to establish a career in the provincial capital. The group, called Future Leaders, soon found themselves delivering keynote speeches at economic development conferences, including a summit hosted by the Premier. The Buzz they identified was a sense of social cohesiveness – from a vibrant entertainment scene to job opportunity.

A new report from RBC Royal Bank suggests we may have lost our Buzz. Saskatoon ranked 16 out of 27 Canadian cities on the 2021 Youthful Cities Work Index. Regina was near the tail end of the ranking at #22.

The RBC study looks issues such as job opportunities, climate education and racial discrimination levels to generate an Index to compare communities.

For centres looking to attract or retain young people, these initiatives can be powerful tools. For example, every member of the Regina group is still living in the province and most own or are leading a local business two decades later.

More information: http://www.rbc.com/newsroom/news/2021/20210511-youthful-cities.html