All aboard!

Knight Foundation recently hosted a discussion in Akron on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, a historic railway in Northern Ohio. The trip, which took place in the dining car, brought together about 35 interns, young professionals and community leaders. The invited guests were participants or presenters at the Akron Outside the Box program this summer. The goal was to figure out how to get interns and young professionals to fall in love with Akron.

The conversation centered on sharing favorite places and exploring how we can motivate millennials to explore Akron, whether they are here for a summer internship, a semester of college or a new job. Akron Program Director Kyle Kutuchief facilitated the conversation and introduced us to Knight Foundation’s strategy focused on attracting and retaining talented people, expanding opportunity and promoting civic engagement in its communities.

Members of the group shared how they want a unique experience when they arrive in a city, and it would be helpful to have a stronger online presence for things to do in Akron. A show of hands revealed most of the group relied on mobile apps or Google to discover things to do in a new place. They don’t want the typical chain restaurants but options that are iconic to the location. Additionally, guests shared their favorite ventures this summer with people mentioning activities in areas such as Highland Square, North Hill and downtown.

There were only a handful of guests that had been on the train in Akron before and the majority were first-time riders. The experience not only exposed participants to the train itself, but also to the scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Towpath Trail. Our hope is that people return to explore with family and friends. More importantly, we hope the event was another small step towards making the case for them to get involved in our community. Akron has many great things to do; we just need to figure out how to better tell our story to young people.

Alex Shannon was a summer intern in Akron for Knight Foundation. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter @ashannon11.