THE PITTSBURGH PASSPORT KICKED OFF ITS SIX-WEEK PROGRAM THURSDAY NIGHT WITH A LAUNCH PARTY AT STAGE AE ON THE NORTH SHORE. | PHOTO: COURTESY THE ALLEGHENY CONFERENCE ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Attention Pittsburgh-area college students and recent grads: Get outdoors this summer with The Pittsburgh Passport and go kayaking along the three rivers, tour Robotics Row, do yoga in Highmark Stadium and spend a night at the Andy Warhol Museum.

These are a few of the free and fun networking events planned this summer to show young professionals what the Pittsburgh region has to offer. 

Though The Pittsburgh Passport is entering its fifth year, it is an anchor of the Allegheny Conference’s regional talent marketing campaign — Belong. Become. Be. The talent movement, launched in April, is aimed at attracting and retaining talent in the area.

Since 2019, The Pittsburgh Passport has reached more than 6,700 college students from more than 40 countries.

The Allegheny Conference, the nearly 80-year-old organization focused on improving the region’s economic future and quality of life, held a virtual launch via Zoom on June 7 and hosted an in-person launch party on June 8 at Stage AE on the North Shore.

“All of the events will showcase what it’s like to live and work in the region while helping students build their professional and social networks,” an Allegheny Conference press release reads.

“Pittsburgh needs people — more people — to grow into its future as an even more dynamic and thriving region. Core to achieving this goal is attracting newcomers to the region, retaining talent with roots already here, and keeping more students in the region after they graduate from our colleges and universities,” said Allegheny Conference CEO Stefani Pashman in the release.

Recent reports reveal some struggles in keeping people in the region. Allegheny County had the nation’s 10th largest population loss between July 2021 and July 22, according to U.S. Census figures. And a recent report by the nonprofit Pittsburgh Works Together shows that Allegheny County lost 50,000 jobs in the last five years.

“The message we’re driving home is that the Pittsburgh region is your community — a place where you can belong and feel connected, personally and professionally. Here, you can become who you were meant to be and achieve your full potential,” Pashman added.

Find the full calendar of free events and registration information here.