ML902 Symposium: Young Professionals: The Future of Community Development

The good news is that bright, ambitious young professionals are as interested in helping disadvantaged communities now as they were fifty years ago when this field grew out of the civil rights movement. And the good news also is that the field is varied and sophisticated and continues to offer a wide range of dynamic and rewarding career paths. If there is any bad news, it’s that these two could use some help finding each other.

This symposium will frame the issues and offer models. Through peer learning and discussions with national trendsetters, employers and employees will discover how to come together.

During the symposium, young professionals and seasoned professionals will be paired for the day to go on a mini-journey together. The pairs will separate at points to attend peer-specific sessions but will re-engage throughout the day. The result will be a deep, mutual appreciation for each’s strengths and challenges as well as a set of tools that each might implement back home. Tools will include which social media and job postings channels are the most effective, and how to access the best educational opportunities.

Young professionals bring great skills and knowledge that is the future of community development. The symposium will address a range of issues:

• How can we overcome the jargon, acronyms and definitions that limit how employers and employees think about a good match?
• What are the specific career paths and entry points?
• What skills are valuable and how can they be attained?
• How can internship programs, AmeriCorps/VISTA, local youth leadership programs, community colleges and other higher educational institutions be a fertile training ground for this field?
• How can current and prospective social media, virtual networking, mentorship
• What continuing education is critical and how can employers invest in them to keep them engaged?
• In these tight economic times, what strategies can employers use to keep young talented professionals challenged and happy?

Young Professionals: The Future of Community Development will offer peer-to-peer networking for both employers and young professionals, and the development of some tangible tools to ensure that the most successful and qualified professionals come to share their talents with the community development field for the long haul.