Community leaders say there is plenty of room for Generation Y in the Windsor-Essex region. And they're trying everything — online and otherwise — to keep them here.

The University of Windsor Centre for Smart Community Innovation (UWCSC) created an online portal for youth 30 months ago.

"The portal, right from the get-go, was created by youth for youth with language that would be attractive to youth," said Kristina Verner of the UWCSC.

The portal recently underwent an upgrade, completed by St. Clair College students, and will be relaunched shortly.

It provides links to events and volunteerism and offers youth advice on post-secondary education, jobs and health.

Verner said traffic to the site is "fairly steady."

Getting Millennials to unplug

While Millennials are sometimes criticized for being too hardwired to their computers or other electronic devices there are existing programs and services in the area that get them on their feet and talking to others.

At the Rose City Islamic Centre, those aged 16-24 are encouraged to get involved. The centre runs a youth opportunity program sponsored by the Ontario government.

The goal is to get youth to first understand how their community works in terms of politics and civic responsibility. The program offers training, volunteer hours, letters of recommendation and bus tickets to and from events at which they're volunteering.

"You have to do stuff like that to keep anybody, especially young people, involved in any activity," said Remy Boulbol, the centre's director of programming and development.

The Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation has created a regional task force on youth retention.

'Youth development is important to the prosperity of any economy.'— Karolyn Hart, Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation

"Youth development is important to the prosperity of any economy," said Karolyn Hart, vice president of the Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation. "We have thousands of youth coming into our community and it's really about how we can leverage and tap into that talent and create economic prosperity with them, instead of exporting them into other communities."

Touting what Windsor has to offer

Selling points to attract youth are similar to the ones used to attract retirees. Hart touted the region's quality of life and inexpensive cost of living.

The CAW, even with a long reputation of being blue collar — Generation Y is largely considering tech savvy and white collar - is also making an effort to engage youth.

Michael Tavolieri is a temporary part-time worker at Chrysler's Windsor Assembly Plant. He's also the chair of the CAW's youth committee, founded three years ago.

The committee advocates on behalf of youth workers.

"Obviously most of our plants are older workers and haven’t been hiring lately," Tavolieri said.

He said the committee allows young workers to feel connected to the rest of the community in which they live.

"It’s all about feeling like you belong and it’s all about feeling like this is a place you put together, that you made," he said. "I think when you can take a community and shape a community into what you want, you take some ownership of it."

While those programs focus on keeping Millennials here, Boulbol said Windsor needs to bring back those who have left.

"We have really great people who have left and gone on to do great things in other places," Boulbol said.

"I think it's a good place to be and I really think we have graduated some really interesting and really bright minds here."

With files from Sean Henry