This is my first official blog with NGC and it comes at an exciting time! Great things are happening at NGC, and with the growing international YP movement! In my position I have the opportunity to work with communities and YP organizations (YPOs), helping them engage the next generation.
Recently I had the privilege of spending time with young professionals from Spartanburg, SC and Columbus, OH. In Spartanburg, a group of 20 YPs took time out of their busy lives to come together for a couple days and talk about the future of their YPO, but the dialog went beyond that. YPs in Spartanburg engaged in conversation about making their city a better place to live and work - a magnet for young talent. Hundreds of quality of life assets and challenges were addressed during this conversation and they plan to share them all and find ways to become further engaged in the process.
In Columbus, YPs came together to engage in dialog around downtown development, transportation, and how to market the city to young talent interested in moving to Columbus. During the conversation common themes developed around making the city more accessible via public transit, offering affordable downtown housing options, creating better bike path infrastructure, and developing more greenspace. These ideas were shared with the Mayor the next day and initiatives are now in development.
Often people forget about the power of conversation because it’s so natural. Just take a minute and consider all you learn and address as you move from one conversation to another throughout one day. The ideas and concepts that can be generated from bringing people together are endless.
Today I encourage you to engage people in conversation, naturally evolving from one topic to another. When the conversation ‘wraps’ think back through it, recognizing the individual thoughts and ideas that were presented. I think you’ll be surprised about the power and impact that one conversation can potentially have on you, your work and your community.
NGC’s forums are a place for next generation leaders and change agents to share their big ideas, test their hunches, and participate in a dynamic conversation with a bunch of smarties who – like you – are passionate about building better places to live and work.
NGC’s forums take YPCommons.org to the next level. YPCommons was originally founded by passionate, visionary leaders of YPOs in 2004 who decided to share all they knew about starting and nurturing their YPOs. The evolved version of the site has been developed by Next Generation Consulting and is a broader conversation hub for young talent aged 20 to 40 – and the young at heart – to share ideas about building better places to live, work and play.
