Reporter Tom Curphey visited Ramsey Grammar School to talk with A-level students about their future in the Isle of Man - whether they plan to stay, and if not, what might encourage them to remain here.

It’s no secret that many young people leave the island for university and don’t return, or move away for other opportunities. Here’s what some of the students had to say:

Izzy Callow - Andreas

‘I’d like to see more local produce in big food chains.

‘I feel like ever since recent corporate takeovers, local producers are really struggling to compete with prices and supply.

‘I think that as an island, we all value community but by neglecting local producers in favour of cheaper imported goods we are corrupting our community.’

Tom Hampton and Noah Quayle - Ramsey

‘We believe there’s a lack of social events for the younger adults returning from university.

‘The Isle of Man nightlife over the past years, according to older generations, has slowly decayed, causing younger people to indulge in anti-social behaviour.

‘We think that if younger people were kept busy or entertained, and it was promoted more, this would improve the relationship between the ageing population of the Isle of Man and the next generation, improving our overall society.’

Katelyn Boyle - Baldrine

‘What I want to see in order to come back to the island after university is more night life.

‘The Isle of Man lacks clubs and entertainment places for young adults, who currently have an extremely small selection of places to go for a good time on the weekend.’

Katie Foster - Ramsey

‘I plan on going to university, and I don’t plan on coming back.

‘However one thing that may sway my opinion is affordable houses for first-time buyers.

‘But also, entertainment for younger people who may not be in to sports.

‘I’ve found that the population of the island are easily able to point fingers at “anti-social behaviour” without questioning why children are doing the things they do.’

Khloe Mundle - Ramsey

‘In my opinion on the island there isn’t many things to do.

‘There are quite a few sports options but if you’re not into sport or not an athletic person there really isn’t much.

‘One thing that could be improved for young people is more social events and clubs.

‘Somewhere younger people can go to keep busy and socialise with people, specifically during the winter there are not many places to go.

‘The few options that we do have aren’t really affordable to consistently go to.’

Connor Huyton - Ramsey

‘In my opinion, the main thing that needs improving on the Isle of Man is the steep housing prices.

‘The high housing prices makes it much less tempting to move back as it becomes more and more difficult to move out of parents houses or small first time buyer apartments that people would hope to get out of.’

Olivia Bettridge - St Mark’s

‘The Isle of Man would be more appealing to young people if there was more outdoor events such as an adults version of the Manx Youth Games or similar events to unite the community.

‘Additionally an increase in indoor facilities would highly benefit the younger generation during the winter months.’

Isla Gray - Ramsey

‘To improve satisfaction on the Isle of Man for young adults, I believe more entertainment facilities would benefit the island, such as arcades, ice skating and mini golf.

‘Additionally, events such as outdoor theatre and music festivals would encourage the community to spend time together and unite.’

Lucy-May Liney - Ramsey

‘The shocking lack of affordable entertainment for young people in the island is arguably the main reason that the youth feel such desperation to move overseas.

‘There are, however, plenty of sports clubs which is fantastic for people who are athletic and sports, but outside of this, accessible entertainment is embarrassingly vacant.

‘The youth could benefit from an affordable entertainment centre, such as the former complex Summerland.’

Emily Musgrove - Ramsey

‘Most young people don’t plan on coming back after university.

‘If all areas on the island had social opportunities and entertainment, rather than having everything in Douglas, people might come back.

‘The Isle of Man is a close knit community and being able to come back and do fun activities would increase interest.’

Ellie Reynolds - Ramsey

‘For years, there’s been conversation of support for neurodivergent youth on the Isle of Man.

‘Neurodivergent refers to disorders like ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and ASD (autism spectrum disorder).

‘Diagnosing disorders is proving to take years, leading to a lack of support for school children, and a misunderstanding.

‘These issues can lead to other mental disorders in youth.’

Maisie Corlett - Ramsey

‘Being a small island, how many job opportunities do we have?

‘When young people decide the jobs they want, there seems to be a limit of what you can do over here.

‘By creating better opportunities like bigger job fairs that are promoting more unusual jobs that are in the island and more specific to the island like something you wouldn’t usually find in the city, it might make younger people want to stay here.’

Dee Dee Squires - Ramsey

‘While the island has a wide community and plenty of good views, is it a difficult place to rely on for affordable and accessible fun?

‘There are fun activities like the Fun Barn and bowling for children, but where do you go when you’re more money conscious and a bit to old for the Fun Barn?

‘The options are there if you really look, but they may be a distance to travel.

‘It should be a more community wide accepted fact that everyone loves fun events and popular activities so making more things happen like the TT funfair or late night Christmas shopping more often each year. It will give people of all ages more options.’