Some may find it surprising that amidst a booming economy, young people are so pessimistic about their job prospects at home. Though the young commentators featured on B4 in this section are speculating about their future, data support their intuition. Today, less than one-third of all jobs in Hawai'i pay enough to cover basic necessities for an average household; the gap between the median home price and what a median family can afford is the widest in our recorded history; and our largest occupation groups are food servers, retail salespersons and data entry clerks. Not particularly inviting soil for those looking to put down roots in the Islands.

But there is more in these commentaries than a call for better jobs — something few other places can claim, but so obvious to us that we take it for granted: Our young people actually want to come home. Even for those who plan to leave, there is a longing to return one day. Why?

We want to raise kids in a place where diversity is a fact of life and not an ideal. We want to be able to fish, surf, hike, hunt, and see mountains and the ocean from a single vantage point. We want to learn hula or taiko, order pizza and poke off the same menu, and have enough time in our lives and room in our homes for children, cousins, parents and grandparents. We want to be surrounded by people who live with humility, gratitude, and a sense of obligation — things that come naturally to Islanders who must share scarce resources, put differences aside, and witness the power and fragility of nature. A good job is a requisite for this good life.

It is the prospect of living such a life that continues to draw young people home or keep them here, despite the economic challenges. Our economic aspiration, then, is a bit more complicated than simply creating well-paying jobs. Good jobs pay a decent salary but also contribute to the preservation of our unique way of life.

There is an economy in our future that will enable us to strike this balance. It is populated by companies and industries that are themselves balanced — industries that grow and create good jobs, but leave minimal environmental impacts, and that understand (or at least do not interfere with) our culture. Such industries have begun to emerge in the Islands: renewable energy, organic agriculture, health sciences, creative media and information technology are a few examples. These industries are present and growing, fueled by global demand and a handful of thoughtful supporters. But they will need to grow faster and have far more supporters if the prospects for our young people are to be better than what they forecast for themselves.

How do we make this happen? And, what can young people in particular do to bring this future about? Three things:

First, we must become fuller participants in economic change. We would do well to remember that throughout history, entrepreneurs have led economic revolutions in Hawai'i and elsewhere — mostly a younger set with the drive, flexibility and tolerance for risk required to start and grow new enterprises. Once founded, the growth of these new companies is driven by the skill and knowledge of its workers — the people who bring ideas and passion to bear on a company's bottom line. Young people are in a better position than most to contribute in both areas — to take the risks necessary in our own lives to reshape an economy, whether pursuing a challenging new course of study, having the courage for a career change, or starting our own companies. We can be the engine and the fuel of a new economic transformation.

Second, we should demand government's help in this. We should ask government to invest in these new industries the way it has in tourism for decades. Government can improve infrastructure for these new industries, encourage investment in them, and help market their products and services abroad. Government also has an important role to play in supporting entrepreneurs with training and technical support needed to launch and grow new ventures. Perhaps most importantly, government must provide quality education to our youth that allows us to build and retool skills throughout our lives. There are any number of bills making their way through the Legislature at this moment that promote these very things. They would gain precious momentum if supported by those with an urgent and personal stake in their passage.

Finally, we should bear in mind the ultimate goal of this work. The goal is not to build the next Wall Street, Hollywood or Silicon Valley of the Pacific. It's to build an economy that helps us keep Hawai'i Hawai'i — an economy that allows us to balance good jobs with our special way of life. Sustaining that way of life is our principal charge and will take the highest levels of creativity as our generation confronts the coming challenges of globalism, climate change, and the rapid fading of the cheap oil era.

Our highest hope is that a generation from now, our children's children can still lay claim to a birthright unique to Hawai'i that blends opportunity with obligation, ambition with responsibility. We can do it, but we must move beyond business as usual here.

James Koshiba is a member of Kanu Hawai'i, a nonprofit founded by a group of people in their 20s and 30s. Kanu Hawai'i's mission is to encourage personal action and advocacy on behalf of a better environmental, economic, educational and civic future for Hawai'i.