To the state's brain-drain fighters, Colin VanDenBerghe is a success story. Before working on a mock marketing campaign to keep New Hampshire college graduates in the state, the Plymouth State University junior was set on moving to California, lured by nightlife and glitz. Now he plans to stay.

"California is more flashy than New Hampshire," said VanDenBerghe, who grew up in Bedford. "But when it came down it, I realized that everything they offer there is offered here."

But for every Colin VanDenBerghe, there's a Suzie Costanzo, a University of New Hampshire senior from Portsmouth. Costanzo is looking forward to starting a job in Boston in September.

"I wanted a new environment and new scenery," Costanzo said. "I wanted more culture."

Costanzo and VanDenBerghe were among the dozens of students who presented ideas in Concord yesterday for how to hook young folks and keep them. The students, from Plymouth State, UNH, UNH-Manchester and Keene State College, spent a semester working on the college-backed "55% Initiative," which aims to increase the number of New Hampshire graduates who stay here from 50 to 55 percent.

Surveys done last year show most graduates leave in search of what they think are better jobs with higher salaries in other states. Many students yesterday said, in order to keep twentysomethings, colleges and business will have to work together to dispel the myth that New Hampshire has no jobs.

They suggested a single, clearinghouse-type website where employers could post job openings and internship offers. Increased coordination between university career centers and employers looking to hire would help, they said. And they agreed that traditional job fairs are outdated and intimidating.

New Hampshire also needs to work on its image, students said. There's a belief out there that the state is boring, a good place to raise a family but not to spend your 20s. In addition to promoting the state's natural resources, they suggested hyping something less glamorous: the low cost of living. That's what made VanDenBerghe change his mind, but it's not something most students think about.

"You don't weigh that in your decision when you're 22 years old," said Mike Connell, a senior at Plymouth State who also decided to stay in New Hampshire after working on the initiative.

Those behind the initiative, which is supported by the University System of New Hampshire, say they know they can't keep every graduate. Some, like Costanzo, will be lured away by the bright lights of the big cities, something most New Hampshire towns can't compete with.

But the business people, elected officials and members of the newly created state task force who attended yesterday's event said they'd like to try. Allison Stebbins, general manager of Fidelity Investments in New Hampshire, said she culled some good ideas from the event, especially about how to communicate with a generation that relies so heavily on the internet.

"We identified areas we need to work on," Stebbins said. "We need to adjust the ways we communicate, whether it's Facebook, Monster.com or Craig's List."