Tim O'Brien and Caleb Pollard, both of Nebraska's Department of Economic Development, are working on an innovative project to figure out why many young Nebraskans leave the state.
"I think people today complain about young people not wanting to be in Nebraska, but they've never asked them why," said Pollard, a workforce development consultant.
The duo is out to buck that trend.
The main focus of the project, Pollard said, is to talk to young people about Nebraska and promote further discussion among themselves.
Pollard and O'Brien aim to talk to young people about what they like about the state, while contacting people who plan on leaving.
"There are a lot of people who want to stay in Nebraska. There are a lot of people who love being in Nebraska," Pollard said.
Pollard and O'Brien say Nebraska offers benefits like a good business environment, small communities and the natural beauty of the state.
"We want to stop talking about what Nebraska doesn't have and start talking about what it does have," Pollard said.
In order to connect with young Nebraskans, the two are using unconventional methods of communication - which include working with Web sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.
"We're trying to do some innovative things that haven't been done before," said O'Brien, who works as a technology consultant.
The project is still in its preliminary stages, but O'Brien and Pollard hope to have an official Web site up by December, and they plan to start other promotions for the project within six months.
"We really want to have a marketing blitz," O'Brien said.
Pollard, despite having lived in other parts of the country, still loves his life in Nebraska and wants to share that with others.
"Its hard to describe what that feeling is (of living in Nebraska), but I think that there are a lot of people who want to share that with other Nebraskans," he said.
jennagibson@dailynebraskan.com
