I take my hat off to those who started what has been billed as 'the big conversation' for the county - Gloucestershire 2050 - and the efforts to build a vision for the future.

It is my generation that the project has been trying to reach. After all, we will be the ones running the county in 30 years' time. If we stay here, that is.

Why do I say that? At the heart of the Gloucestershire 2050 campaign are figures which show that even now 400 people aged 18-30 leave Gloucestershire each year. In short, it loses more young people than it attracts.

Bristol currently takes in 4,000 more young people than it loses annually.

By 2039 79,000 more people over 65 will have colonised the county (I use that word advisedly) - and only 7,000 more people aged 18-64.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see where the county is heading and the reasons behind the need to talk.

Personally, as a young student from Gloucestershire, I do not agree the ambitious projects have much interest for young people.

Six ideas are on the table it is suggested could transform the county's national and international reputation; some of these ideas are already well on their way to becoming a reality.

The ideas include a super city, cyber park, regional parks, Lydney to Sharpness crossing, a Cotswold airport and a Cotswold Waterpark.

Growing up in Gloucestershire, and having been living here for nearly 15 years, I believe I would have some valuable opinions on the changes Gloucestershire could make to help increase the young community living in the county.

Most importantly, they need to engage the target audience.

Having conducted a non-scientific poll of a random selection of people my age (friends of mine), I concluded none had ever heard about the discussion.

Should they become a reality the projects Glos2050 has put forward will undoubtedly draw people to the county, although some of the ideas may not be what we required to achieve the desired change in the demographic and might not be the best use of money.

I can imagine the shoulders dropping when some read this but creating a water park in the more rural areas of the county would be a great idea.

Younger people love the thrill of the range of things that could be on offer there - and there will be lots of space to build it on, it will not add to already congested urban roads and will bring employment.

Having a regional country park in the county would help to promote the environment and the county, and it would bring young people here, but it may not be a strong enough to make them move here (Gloucester).

The very young are not necessarily worried about environmental issues, but they would be interested in somewhere they can go out and meet new people their age. Gloucester is not seen as the place for that.

Nottinghamshire, which attracts 1,000 more young people than it loses each year, and the aforementioned Bristol are thriving with both good educational opportunities and night life, which is precisely what young people look for from other counties.

Possibly Gloucestershire is not perceived in the same way, which might be a key reason we are missing out on building the exciting energy other counties appear to offer.

Regarding the proposed 'super city' - a merger of Gloucester and Cheltenham - I don't think it would be the panacea. It would be costly and there are big differences between the two cities which are not just positive (and to be celebrated) but which could affect the focus and identity of the whole.

While I salute the efforts of those behind Gloucestershire 2050, perhaps it speaks volumes about the situation we as a county are in, that until Punchline sat me down to write this, I didn't even know the conversation was taking place.

The use for Gloucestershire 2050 to be able to reach out to the young segment of the county would not be the way they are going about it now. Social media and technology is not the way to get through, as it isn't interesting enough to click on.

The recommended way to do so is by approaching schools and meeting them in person to get our input on what Gloucestershire needs to do to entice us into staying in the future. The most effective way of giving this message is by using someone of the same age to engage with the younger people easier, helping them to understand and listen.