(Louisville, KY) It’s a wrap, but the conversation will continue! The 2007 International YP Summit brought together more than 200 YPs - representing 30 states, Canada, 100 YPOs, and nearly 200,000 young professionals!
Once we learned how to properly say Louisville, we kicked off the Summit with great conversation encouraging YPs to gather with like-sized communities and discuss two questions:
- What VALUE does your YPO bring to your community?
- In three years if your YPO was 10x more valuable, what would have to happen between now and then?
Talk about two powerful questions. The conversations created 40 different bumper stickers that I think all need to be produced and on every car bumper in our communities!
Then came Anita Sharpe - WOW! - what a dialog she created. Anita led YPs in a dialog about their YPO’s purpose and their individual passions - causing all of us to consider what we stand for and what’s our MOTTO! So what is the typical YP’s motto? Here’s what we heard from you:
- Change is inevitable, but progress is optional.
- Every challenge has a paradise behind it.
- If you can think it, you can have it.
- If you can be a hero for five minutes or less – do it!
- It’s not where you live, but what you make of it.
I feel this last motto, shared by Taylor Mason of Cincy Update, is lived by so many YPs and YPOs. Watch for Anita footage at www.ypsummit.org. We also had open dialog sessions on resource development, arts outreach, community outreach, advocacy, and signature events giving you all the chance to learn more from each other.
And that was just DAY ONE!
Day two began with a welcome from Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, who shared with us the things Louisville is doing as a city to be more attractive to young talent followed by more sharing of best practices from Fuel Milwaukee, ypBrevard, Network of Young Professionals, YPAL, IUGO, Bismark-Mandan YPN, and the Akron Chamber. The afternoon brought the launch of Rebecca Ryan’s new book Live First, Work Second. Rebecca, inspired all of us to think differently and continue growing the YPO and “live first, work second” movement.
Between sessions, you heard the conversation continue - 200 YPs learning from each other and inspiring one another. Many questions were asked about real challenges and many success stories were shared. And I can’t help but go back to the last motto I heard in Anita’s session - “It’s not where you live, but what you make of it,” shared by Taylor. We are all working hard and have so much passion around creating social change and community impact within each of our own corners of the world. I know it is often frustrating, we have to deal with the “establishment” and the PMS’s who may not understand what we are about. We often find ourselves comparing our community to the next and becoming envious, and simply see the negative in our own. I challenge you not to! Rather, focus on what’s working in your community and how you can build on it. Focus on the energy the next generation brings to the table and find a way to channel it for your community, the energy of “Live First, Work Second” - now that’s a motto!
Check out information on Summit presentations here!
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