Young adult advisory group reports to city officials

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The Young Somerville Advisory Group unveiled its new logo at a recent meeting with elected officials at The Burren (left to right): Mayor Joseph Curtatone, State Senator Pat Jehlen, YSAG board member Matt Hartman, logo contest winner Daniel Hadley, Alderman Jack Connolly and YSAG board member Jon Petitt. - Photo by Elizabeth Sheeran

By Elizabeth Sheeran

They could be poised to take over as the next generation of city leaders. If they stick around, that is.

Four out of 10 Somerville residents is a young adult between the ages of 21 and 35. That means that the so-called Generation Y accounts for a hefty chunk of the city’s adult population, even if those numbers haven’t always translated into a high  level of community involvement.

“We’re a very transient generation. A lot of people move into Somerville and take advantage of it because it’s a great place for young people, and then when it’s time for them to really settle and put down roots, they leave, and therefore they don’t invest into their community,” said April Opoliner, a graduate student who lives near Teele Square.

Some Generation Y-ers are working to change that. “The thing we need to do is to turn on the switch in someone’s mind that ‘this is a place that I belong to and maybe I have a responsibility to help, and maybe it would make me feel good to help,’” said Carrie English, a member of the Young Somerville Advisory Group (YSAG), which was formed in 2007 to get young adults more involved in the community.

Opoliner and English were among those who gathered in the back room of The Burren pub in Davis Square on October 20, to hear the advisory group’s annual report and discuss their concerns with elected officials, including Mayor Joseph Curtatone, Alderman Jack Connolly, and State Senator Pat Jehlen. Over beer and cookies, board member Matt Hartman presented recommendations that emerged from regular meetings with city leaders, and from monthly surveys of the target age group.

Not surprisingly, many of the group’s priorities reflect the immediate concerns of a constituency that is young, mobile, and mostly still living in rental housing. Hartman lauded the expansion of bike routes and new bicycle racks. And he said one of the biggest concerns was still a dearth of legal parking options, particularly during snow emergencies.

But the annual report also reflected a growing engagement in the broader community: raising concerns about homelessness, expressing support for local festivals and farmers markets, and asking the local elections commission for volunteer opportunities that don’t require a full-day commitment.

Environmental issues are also high on the list for a generation who grew up with “reduce, re-use and recycle.” They asked the city to make it easier for renters to get recycling bins, and suggested a program where landlords can seek a “green” certification for eco-friendly, energy efficient apartments.

Board members said the YSAG needs to expand its reach to all young adults in Somerville, making communication a top priority. Hartman said the group wants to take a large role in revamping the city website, in order to better engage the under-35 set. “Our age group is more interested in it than any other age group,” said Hartman, “because we’re on line more than any other age group.”

The advisory group also took the occasion to unveil a new tool in its own efforts to get the word out, by announcing the winning design in its logo contest. Somerville resident Daniel Hadley was the winner among the top three finalists, including Brian Glueckert and Rajiv Ramaiah.

Curtatone responded to the report with a number of updates, including plans for a professional parking study, and urged the young adults in the room to make a long-term commitment to Somerville, no matter where they think they’ll be down the road.

“Whether you know if you’re going to be here in five, 10 years, we want you to act as if you’re going to be here for the long term,” he said. “Whether you stay here or not, you’ll always have a great feeling about Somerville and carry that out with you wherever you go. But I hope you might somewhere in the back of your mind say, ‘you know, this might be the place where I plant my roots.’”

One attendee asked Curtatone about what she called a “barrier to people staying here”: the perception that Somerville’s schools don’t measure up against its suburban neighbors. Curtatone said there was always room for improvement, but urged young adults to look beyond numerical rankings to visit local schools and see firsthand what they’re accomplishing.

Board member Jon Petitt said the goal of the group wasn’t necessarily to keep people from moving on, but rather to get them more engaged while they’re here. “I don’t think we’re looking as much at getting more people to stay, as much as we’re looking to make things better for the people who do stay,” said Petitt.

Brandy Brooks, who was attending her first young Somerville meeting, agreed that young adults can have a real impact when they get involved. “That’s how we build our cities, when the next generation makes an investment,” said Brooks, who has lived in Somerville for 13 years, since her undergrad days at Harvard. “You’ve got to have people who are choosing to live here, who aren’t just here for the fun.”