This week's blogger, Clara Rice, is part of a core team on the ground bringing the
Next Leader's Summit to Cincinnati September 17-19th. Clara shares her own personal take on Cincinnati's YP organizational renaissance, how the city came to snag bragging rights for hosting the nation's premier gathering of the YP tribes, and tips her hat to the dreamers and partners that made it all happen in the first place.
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Soapblog 3: WE WON! Now what?
Posted By: Clara Rice
8/20/2009
So now that we know that YPs from 25 states (and counting) will be descending on Cincinnati September 17-19, what do we want them to get out of it?
The obvious answer is that we want them to develop a new-found appreciation for the region. The organizing team’s goal from the beginning has been to get attendees up and moving – not just to avoid the “glaze” (the coma that ensues from too much sitting in one place), but to experience Cincinnati’s walkable urbanity, view its incredible Italianate buildings and breathe in Downtown and OTR’s renewed energy. So in addition to hearing presentations from Rebecca Ryan on how to re-focus their YPO, Jake Greene on how to get ahead without becoming a “sell-out corporate tool” and Sarah “Intellagirl” Robbins on leveraging Web 2.0, they’ll attend breakout sessions at iconic Downtown buildings such as the Aronoff, CAC, Freedom Center and Shillito, along with such Over-the-Rhine gems as Know Theatre, Art Academy, Media Bridges and Coffee Emporium. In the evenings, they’ll have the opportunity to attend an opening reception at the McAlpin, one of Downtown’s swankiest addresses. They’ll join local YPs for the Bacchanalian Society wine tasting, have dinner on a pedestrian bridge overlooking our beautiful two-state skyline, and polka at the largest Oktoberfest in the Western Hemisphere. From a tourism and economic development perspective, the ultimate aim is for them to leave with an open mind and an empty wallet.
The other obvious answer is that it is an opportunity to showcase the talents of our young professional community to the rest of the country. Local YPO leaders will serve on panels such as “Mobilizing Members,” “GREEN, the New Black” and “Maximum Impact, Minimum Budget.” They’ll teach other YP communities how to “Organize Signature Events,” develop “Employer Relationships” and forge “YPO Partnerships.” They’ll engage in a special session with cities of similar size to share their success stories.
The less obvious answer is that the Summit will provide our local community with an opportunity to learn. These best practice sessions and networking receptions aren’t an arena for monologue but for dialogue. Cities from Hartford to Reno have weathered the past year’s economic storm, and their YPOs have their own unique stories. Cincinnati’s YP community will benefit greatly if it listens as much if not more than it talks.
An octogenarian friend of mine, who racks up more community organizing credits in a year than I can aspire to in a lifetime, recently asked me “where have all the YPs gone?” “What’s happened to the movement – where’s the noise?” I explained to her that the reason we’ve fallen silent recently is because we’re struggling to survive – we’ve either lost our jobs or are trying our hardest to keep the ones we have. That doesn’t leave a lot of hours for fighting the good fight. But we will emerge stronger than ever – the movement is already re-grouping, and we’ll probably shout even louder so that the tribulations of the past year never happen again. The next leaders coming to the 2009 Summit aren’t coming to fall in love with Cincinnati and move their families here. They’re coming because they are committed to their own communities and want to go home with solid strategies on how to make them better.
Hmm. YPs as passionate about their cities as we are about ours? In building a better world, that’s a pretty comforting thought.