For many years, state demographers and economic experts have noticed a concerning trend: Minnesota loses more people than it gains.
A report compiled by the Minnesota State Demographic Center has revealed the state loses an average of more than 10,000 15- to 24-year-olds to other states each year.
To reverse this pattern and encourage more young people to build careers in the Twin Cities, the economic development organization Greater MSP partnered with several of Minnesota’s top companies to host its annual Discover MSP Intern Week.
“In the workforce, the biggest asset we have is our people,” said Matt Lewis, vice president of strategic initiatives at Greater MSP. “We launched this effort focused on specifically welcoming interns to the region.”
Interns from Medtronic, the Mall of America, Target and other Minnesota-based companies gathered June 16-22 to connect and network at career development, volunteer and entertainment events.
Olga Baumann Arias, a corporate social responsibility and experiential events intern at the MOA, planned the Community Care Give-Back event. During the event, Twin Cities interns put together care packages for area school-age children, took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Bloomington shopping center and enjoyed time in the Nickelodeon Universe theme park.
“The event went really well, and the volunteering had very high involvement,” said Baumann Arias, a Hamline University graduate who was born and raised in Ecuador. “It had its obstacles, but I had a lot of guidance throughout the process of building the agenda and sending emails. I think it was a meaningful event.”
Companies like Medtronic, which has partnered with Greater MSP since the founding of Intern Week in 2015, view the week as an opportunity to help interns connect with the companies and the Twin Cities.