This database takes participants where the action is

As far as the business group Action Long Island is concerned, much of business these days should be all about the future.

The Melville-based group, one of the region's largest business organizations, has started what it calls its Young Adult Database to enroll people ages 18 to 35 for the purpose of drawing them into the Island's government affairs. So far, organization officials said, about 1,000 people have signed up on the group's Facebook page.

About six weeks ago Action Long Island notified those enrolled that Huntington Town was holding a zoning meeting in which developer Avalon Bay Communities sought to build affordable housing units. It was important that the younger generation be there, and dozens showed up, according to officials of Action Long Island.

"We want to give them a voice" in Long Island affairs, said Lenae McKee, Action Long Island's development director, who is running the organization's new program.

McKee, who is 24 and plans to marry in July, is a recent arrival from Tennessee who finds Long Island a fascinating place, but one not easy to afford.

"When there's a big event on Long Island," McKee said, "young adults need to be there."

Sheldon Sackstein, chairman of Action Long Island and a 25-year veteran of the organization, said the goal is to enroll about 10,000 young adults in the database by September. He said he and the organization's housing task force were meeting recently to talk about affordable homes.

"We started looking around the room and realized we're not children either," Sackstein said. "What we're trying to do is to give [young adults] a collective voice. These are young adults who will inherit this Island. It's absolutely essential we give them a voice."