It appears that young people in the community seem to have a hard time defining “young professional” and figuring out if they belong to that category or not, hence if IGNITE is for them or not. Let’s talk about that.
We believe the term “young professionals organization” was coined simply for lack of a better alternative. That’s why each of those organizations has to come up with its own definition of who they want to appeal to and attract, be it based on age only, years in a career, type of career, or all of the above. In essence, they are all trying to engage the next generation, the “net” generation or generation “Y” – but all those terms wouldn’t sound that great in a name, just think about “IGNITE Cayuga County’s Next Generation.”
IGNITE’s mission states that the organization is governed by young professionals and that it aims to empower members to recognize and enhance the value of living and working in Cayuga County by connecting people and ideas. You see already that this is a very broad
interpretation, and here is why.
Governed by young professionals. Our steering committee members who lead the program and carry out activities are below forty years of age. That’s probably the only commonality; otherwise they are very diverse. They work in the public, private, non-profit, service and education sector. Some own their own business, others are civil servants or part of a family business. They are in their twenties and thirties, single, in a relationship, married, about to get married, with and without children. We are proud to cover a wide variety of industries, personalities and backgrounds.
Empower members to recognize and enhance the value of living and working in Cayuga County. When it comes to our members, we don’t require an age limit. While our efforts and activities are geared towards young residents, we appreciate everyone who supports their advancement in the community. You might have noticed that I referred to young residents rather than young professionals. The reason is simple. We want to speak to all young people who live or work in Cayuga County. Some might not see themselves as young professionals, because they are still in College, they are currently unemployed, they
are farmers or artists, they chose a skilled trade or to stay home with their children. Nevertheless, we welcome them just as much and aim to empower them to make a difference in this community. It’s much less where you currently are in life and what job you pursue as it is your drive and investment in your own future, and consequently the future of our community as a whole.
Connecting people and ideas. This is probably the core message. We want to connect young people with the rest of the community, so we can all come together and work towards making it even better. We can’t and we don’t want to do it alone, so we need to engage in a dialogue with other community members and leaders, pick their brains, exchange ideas, collaborate and involve as many people as possible. The people you’ll meet and the connections you’ll make will be invaluable.
So, the real question is not whether you are a young professional, but rather if our aspirations for this community are in line with yours.
If what you just read speaks to you, then IGNITE is right for you.
Connect with us!