Op-ed: Lawmakers should listen to the next generation
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In just a few weeks, I will be packing up and leaving West Virginia to go back to college out of state. Like thousands of other students during this time of year, I am excited for what's next, but I am also leaving the place I have called home my entire life. This problem is not unique to most people in my generation, as West Virginia has seen a population decline for decades. Policy leaders must be challenged to find solutions to reverse the so-called "struggle to stay." If they are successful, we can reverse a trend that is troubling for the Mountain State. But first we need to examine why young people, like myself, continue to leave.
Before this summer, I probably would have blamed my departure from West Virginia on better opportunities elsewhere. But then, I spent the last few months interning with the West Virginia State Treasurer's Office. While we still need better job opportunities, the situation in West Virginia is less dire than I originally thought. All we need to do is build foundational wealth right here in the Mountain State.
When I started the internship with the Treasurer's Office, my expectation was that I would mostly just be creating graphics, working on social media, traveling here and there, and helping with menial tasks. While most of my days required just that, I also had the opportunity to meet people from all different communities and receive first-hand experience of how best to serve the people of West Virginia. What I never realized was how much work goes into helping the people of our state until I got to be a small part of it.
No matter the community, we found people who genuinely care about this state. Even in the smallest of towns, I met small business owners, local leaders, and people in the general public who all wanted the same thing - to see their communities thrive and not just for themselves, but for the next generation. These conversations stuck with us and made me contemplate the impact of my own generation.
While people are always questioning why young folks are leaving, they are not thinking about what it would take for them to come back. People my age are not fleeing the state because they do not love West Virginia; that is not a question. We are proud to be from here as well as want to see our communities, families, and neighbors thrive. The question for us is whether we believe we can build a future here.
When I graduate in three years, I want certainty that the opportunity to come back and build a career and life will be an option. But it cannot conflict with the goals and standards I have set for myself. We shouldn't have to pick between goals and home.
Lawmakers must find ways to balance our heritage and small community feel with economic development and quality of life that makes young families want to move or stay here in the Mountain State. We want growing, safe communities, affordable housing in good neighborhoods, job opportunities, and places where there is something to do on a Friday night. Those things may not seem like the biggest issue in Charleston, but those are the kinds of things people think about when choosing where to build a life.
If I had one lesson for lawmakers that I learned during my internship, it is that it is not just about passing laws. It is about listening. The best leaders that I have met are ones who listen and ask questions, not just have an answer to everything. They should start by listening to the folks who want to come back but feel like they cannot. Lawmakers should want people who feel like staying in West Virginia is not just settling, but a choice that they are proud to make. The younger generation does not need a reason to love West Virginia, just a reason to stay.
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Jayden Payne is a sophomore at The University of Alabama. She interned with the West Virginia Treasury Communications team this summer.