The Times Picayune ran a story this morning on all the new young people moving into New Orleans. It’s refreshing to finally have something to refer to when people ask “who and where are all these young people that are supposedly moving into New Orleans?” You can check out the article here..

“All the problems the city is facing — economic development, health care, education — are not that unique,” Park said. “I think post-Katrina, New Orleans is the greatest challenge our generation will ever face, and it’ll also be our greatest legacy.”

Also helping to connect young professionals are marketing associate Michael Karnjanaprakorn, 25, and Lauren Baum, 26, who works for The Idea Village. The pair founded a New Orleans chapter of Likemind, a national networking movement with groups across the country who host monthly meet-and-greets for young, socially conscious professionals.

The group has met five times since May, with attendance growing from an initial 15 to more than 40. Karnjanaprakorn also is developing a New Orleans version of the New York-based Web site All Day Buffet, www.alldaybuffet.org, which hosts and lists fun events with a social-minded bent that tries to make young people “full on good.”

While reading through some of the comments posted below the article, I think a lot of people are stuck in the old economic model of development based on tax breaks, subsidies, cheap land and labor. Couple that with the scandals, corruption, high crime rates and recovering city - it’s hard to imagine that New Orleans can ever change.

However, cities like Austin and Denver are booming because of it’s quality - quality of workers, quality of life and quality of innovation. A city like New Orleans needs to embrace the young people moving into New Orleans because they are the future change makers.  This is the new economic model - focus on talent. It’s about quality, not quantity. Look at what Richard Florida writes about in his book on the creative class. New Orleans is the model city for young people that want to do good.  It can become the next booming city if we let it.

In response to the comment regarding the non-profit sector. A lot of the people mentioned are in the non-profit world but these are just a small group of people out of many. Who said that you can’t combine your passion for social change with the private sector? There’s a whole new trend called the Fourth Sector with companies and individuals achieved the double bottom line of social and financial success. If you want to make change, you don’t have to work for a non-profit. I work for an advertising agency and have met a ton of people that work at engineering firms, public relations, etc but they are down here because the WANT to be here. They have no plans of leaving anytime soon and this isn’t some “temporary project” they are undertaking.  They want to be here and things will change whether you believe it or not.

If you haven’t met any of the people that are trying to change New Orleans, I invite you to come to the first All Day Buffet event.  You’ll truly be inspired by talking to them. Details below…

What: All Day Buffet - Cause for Drinks
When: Wednesday, August 22, 2007, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Where: New York, Gallery Bar, 120 Orchard Street (Between Delancy & Rivington)
New Orleans, LePhare, 523 Gravier