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Organizations, page 3
by jessica tredinnick

Yet Scott LaMay, a former member of the recently disbanded Young Professionals of Green Bay, says his organization lacked interest in community involvement, a trend he sees among young professionals.

“Our youth are lacking vision for community, generally speaking,” LaMay says. “Success is highly distorted in our fast-paced, get-all-you-can-as-fast-as-you-can society.”

The founders of Young Professionals of Green Bay intended it as a forum for social and professional networking. Although it survived for more than 20 years, this group was driven by youth and idealism, which ultimately proved fickle, according to LaMay.

“As the membership and leadership aged, their vision was lost, as was their passion for the mission they set out to accomplish,” LaMay says. He says organizations can combat burnout by balancing social and professional interests with civic activism.

YPR proved it is one such well-balanced, successful group. Member Jay Christie says many of his coworkers are members, and many of them have struck business deals during group events. “Virtually all my friends now are members of YPR,” he says. Since its 2001 founding, YPR’s ranks have swelled to more than 1,000 members. Perhaps, as LaMay suggests, the secret to young professionals’ success is balance. Christie agrees that the organization forges a valuable tie between its members and the community.

“[YPR] allows young professionals to speak with a unified voice when it come to issues that affect the overall destiny of the community … both public policy and quality of life issues,” Christie says. Most recently, the group’s civic interest manifested itself in that sizeable $10,000 gift for the families left homeless and scattered after Hurricane Katrina’s destructive assault on southern states.

Young professional organizations can help the fresh-from-academia fulfill their personal expectations and also see the world beyond their own space and time by considering other people’s interests and asking how they can make a difference.

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curb magazine 2005: balance for wisconsin's young professionals