Published by the Times-Standard May 31, 2004

"Humboldt County's greatest export is its children." Those that concern themselves with the economic future of Humboldt County often repeat this catchy, but distressing, phrase. Generally, the next statement is the action, project or policy that will solve the problem. It might be improved transportation, access to capital, redevelopment, industrial recruitment, developing or preserving the Humboldt Bay, more or less regulation ... the list goes on and on.

Based on my personal experience, as a child raised in Southern Humboldt County and as the parent of two small children, I like to highlight three important steps we can take to address this issue.

Educate our children and ourselves

Historically, Humboldt County has suffered from a cultural bias that did not place a high value on education. Fortunately, we seem to have made significant strides in removing this bias. One measure of this is that according to the California Department of Education, our dropout rate has been trending downward over the past 10 years. However, our rate is still higher than the state average.

High school graduation must be viewed as only the first step in a process of life-long learning. The economic value of continued education is well documented. Census data shows that individuals with an associate's degree earn approximately 26 percent more than those with a high school diploma. Those with a bachelor's degree earn on average 72 percent more. Individuals with a professional degree earn more than three and a half times as much as an individual with a high school diploma.

Of course, earning power is not the only benefit. Education also increases opportunity and the ability to chart your own future.

In Humboldt County, approximately 30 percent of the students graduating from public schools in 2003 had completed, with a grade of "C" or better, all of the courses required for entrance to the University of California or California State University. This rate is below the state average of nearly 35 percent.

Thirty-six percent of Humboldt County high school graduates took the Scholastic Aptitude Test, compared to 46 percent for the state of California. We do match the state average of 50 percent of graduates going on to a two- or four-year college or university.

Given the importance of post-high school education, we should all do what we can to increase that statistic. An increase in our rate of college enrollment should be attainable, especially given that Humboldt County students exceed the state average in both California Standardized Testing and the SAT.

These days education does not end with a degree and it has become increasingly essential that adults continually work to educate themselves through one or more of a variety of opportunities for continuing education. Not only does this improve their own lives, but provides a positive role model for the next generation.

Education doesn't only occur in schools, either. Community educational resources, from the variety of nonprofit museums, art and nature programs to the Sequoia Park Zoo and other institutions are important parts of our community's educational system.

Encourage our children to leave -- and make them want to return

Of course, true education requires going out into the world and experiencing new things. It means taking risks and sometimes failing. It involves interfacing with new ideas, perspectives, and cultures.

Therefore, encouraging our children to leave Humboldt County is one of the best things we can do to further their education. Let's face it: The fables and legends of children going out into the big world to seek fame and fortune are based on the fact that at a certain point, kids want to leave home, at least for a while. So let them. Even if they don't return with fame and fortune, they'll at least have gained some measure of wisdom and experience that can serve them in later life.

Of course, ability to return does not translate into desire. We need to make sure that the messages we give to even our youngest children are positive ones. A person who had just moved to Humboldt County once told me that you could judge the quality of a community by the smallness of its complaints. I think of this every time I hear someone complain about the weather. We could be living in Michigan. The point is that if we adults don't communicate pride in our community to our children, then why should we expect them to want to stay?

We also need to instill in our children a sense of confidence in our community's future and their ability to affect that future so that they'll take the risks necessary to become successful. Confidence is more than hope, which is really a passive notion. A hopeful person waits for the phone to ring; a confident one makes the call.

Reject isolation

Humboldt County is known for its isolation behind the "Redwood Curtain." However, rural isolation is a luxury enjoyed by a lucky few and a curse to many more. If we want our youth to succeed, wherever they choose to live, then they must be connected to the larger world.

We need to continue to strengthen our connections to the outside world, from broadband communications to modern transportation to cultural diversity. We must lose our fear that strengthening our ties with the larger world necessarily means that we have to give up those characteristics of our community that we all enjoy.

The youth of Humboldt County are one of our most, if not the most, important assets. We need to make sure that we all do what we can to protect and enhance those assets, whether it be through our dollars, time or the messages we communicate to them. Our investment now can pay big dividends later, even if the payoff is just that they live down the street from Mom and Dad.