In my work and experience with Young Professionals Organizations (YPO) I often see and hear missions that include - “the voice of the next generation” - and I have to wonder if this is an accurate statement.
I realize that every YPO has a different vision, purpose, and mission and all YPOs are trying to create positive change in their community, whether it’s through connecting YPs to each other at networking functions, engaging YPs in civic action and community service or helping lead talent attraction and retention initiatives with their economic development partners - YPOs ARE creating positive community impact.
But to those YPOs who have as part of their mission statement - “the voice of the next generation” - I urge you to look at your membership demographics and make sure that you are indeed representing your generation and not just a segment. Many YPOs struggle with diversity from race to age to type of professions. Therefore if a YPO does not represent a diverse segment of a generation, how can it honestly claim to be “the voice of the next generation”?
For those of you who are representing a diverse segment, I encourage you to share with us your successes and best practices so we can all learn how to better engage the next generation.
