Eagle County Launches Program to Keep Young Talent

Aspen —“Si queremos que los jóvenes se queden e inviertan su tiempo y energía en el condado de Eagle, necesitan sentir que aquí tienen un futuro.”

That’s the core argument from a representative of the Vail Valley Partnership (VVP). It’s a simple premise, but it’s one that’s been validated by the local business community. As Vail Daily reported, conversations with local leaders revealed a common thread: companies were struggling to retain young adult employees. While there are many factors at play, the root cause often comes down to a lack of community and meaningful relationships.

This isn’t just a niche concern. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 make up roughly 11% of the total population in Eagle County. For many community groups, the realization is setting in: if you want to keep them around for the long haul, you have to offer them spaces where they can actually connect.

To tackle this head-on, VVP has rolled out a program called “Nuevos Jóvenes Profesionistas del Valle de Vail” (or YEP, for short). It’s designed to help build both relationships and career paths for local professionals aged 18 to 35. Their motto, “Find your people, find your path,” pretty much sums up the whole operation. It’s all about strengthening social ties through events, networking opportunities, and professional development activities.

The representative put it plainly: supporting these individuals benefits everyone involved, but it also strengthens the overall vitality of the community and the workforce. To get people to develop their careers and live here long-term, we need to create opportunities for them to connect, grow, and see themselves as an important part of a dynamic community.

It’s still early days for YEP, but they’re already collaborating with existing programs. One such partner is Mountain Youth Young Adults, which offers spaces for young adults to participate in their community. The program provides a wide variety of activities, including cooking classes, outdoor adventures, and even a series of meditation sessions specifically tailored to this group.

But it’s not just about professional development or leisure activities. Another area where young people often feel excluded is politics. After becoming more involved in politics following the 2024 elections, Dani Morin, 30, realized that she was usually the youngest person in the room by several decades. As a result, she decided to create the Eagle County chapter of Young Democrats.

“The goal of ECYD is to create an alternative community space where young people can feel empowered to organize, inform themselves, and take on a leadership role in local and state politics,” Morin said. The group meets once a month, and its members are typically between 25 and 29 years old, though it’s open to anyone between 18 and 40.

Morin noted that creating the Young Democrats chapter has allowed her to participate more actively in the political process. It’s a small step, but it’s a significant one. It shows that when you give young people a seat at the table, they’ll show up. And when they show up, they bring energy, perspective, and a sense of ownership that older generations can sometimes take for granted.

The question is whether these efforts will be enough. Will YEP and ECYD be able to create a critical mass of engaged young adults? Will businesses start to see retention as a direct result of community investment? The math holds up so far, but that depends on who you ask. What we do know is that the community is waking up to the fact that talent doesn’t just want a paycheck; they want a place to belong. And until we figure out how to give them that, we’re going to keep losing them.