In their own words

Part four of the series "Plugging the Brain Drain."

During Vision Long Island’s ninth annual Smart Growth Summit, there was a group of young people in a small conference room during the summit’s second session, discussing problems they saw with Long Island — and some possible solutions.

The group was the panel for a discussion, “Youth Vision for Long Island’s Future.” The conference room, although small, was packed with adults who had come to hear what the panel had to say and students from West Islip High School and Dowling College.

It was an opportunity for the youths to address what they saw as some of the most pressing issues facing Long Island today, and to offer some solutions.

“We don’t reach out to [young people] enough,” said Dr. Nathalia Rogers, an associate professor of sociology at Dowling, the moderator of the panel. “I go to multiple meetings where it’s only adults, and they say, ‘This would be great for young people.’”

The panel consisted of five Long Islanders all under 25 — two were recent college graduates, two were still in college, and one was in high school. And one of the main issues that the panel brought up was the lack of entertainment on the Island.

“We need more downtowns and to gear them toward young people,” said Kelly Douglas, a West Islip High School student.

James Rhodes, a student at Dowling, expanded on that, saying most entertainment on Long Island tends to be geared toward the young or those over 21. “That 18 to 21 age, where you have college students, really don’t have anything to do,” he said.

“For those of us in our 20s that want to go to bars, you have to then drive home,” added Tara Klein, a planning coordinator for Vision Long Island.

The talk of driving led to what the panel saw as another major problem for young people on Long Island: the lack of public transportation.

“[The MTA] focuses on the people trying to get to the city,” said Rhodes, “but what about the people trying to get around Long Island?”

Rhodes said he felt that Long Island needs north/south rail routes to make it easier to get around. And for students, a discount on tickets from the MTA would go a long way to help them get around. “There isn’t an investment in Long Island’s transportation infrastructure,” he said.