The Young Professionals of Nanaimo have made an impression on other Vancouver Island communities.
The organization began its fourth year of existence with a newly elected board of directors and has reached 115 members.
Young people in other communities have taken notice and created the Young Professionals Cowichan Valley, Young Professionals Comox Valley and Young Professionals Campbell River.
Including the completion of the Nanaimo Train Station, the maturity of our two community gardens in north and south Nanaimo, and a successful inaugural Connect VI Conference with 150 participants, YPN has many projects and hours of community service to be proud of.
The group’s four pillars are community involvement, social networking, professional development, and business networking.
It is actively involved with the community, having recently participated in the Nanaimo Child Development Centre’s Silly Boat Regatta, Relay for Life team, and the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.
Braden Wheatcroft, YPN membership director, said the secret behind YPN’s success can be summed up in one word – flexibility,
“Last year we had over 80 events in one year, but not one was mandatory to attend,” he said. “While we encourage our members to participate in our events, we have so many things happening that each member can choose to participate in something they find individually interesting.”
It is helping organize JobFest Tuesday (Oct. 9) at Beban Park Social Centre, as well as next year’s second annual Connect VI Conference, connecting young professionals across Vancouver Island.
For more information on YPN, please go to www.ypnanaimo.com.