YP is “Stepping Up” for our Youth

One of the Bismarck Mandan Young Professional Network’s flagship projects is “Stepping Up”. This program was implemented by the Professional Development Team in the fall of 2008 to reach out to local high school students on helping them prepare for their future. A personal story is shared by several YP members about how they chose their university, maybe moved out of state at some point and returned to ND, and what life experiences brought them to the job position they have today.

Many of the speakers share the same story; it was difficult to find a job out of college in a related field of their degree because of the lack of job experience that paralleled with their education. Whether you were over qualified or under experienced for a job position it was difficult for many young professionals to land that first job. Other topics discussed with high school students are the impact of utilizing internships, mentoring programs, job shadowing and also how volunteering can help them build a network to seek opportunities for employment.

During the presentation, the idea is also reinforced that it is okay to start at the bottom of a business and use that as a foundation for building experience that would allow them to grow and be promoted within the company.

Since 2008, The Bismarck Mandan Young Professionals has successfully spoken to over 600 high school students in Bismarck and Mandan. Century High School teacher, Troy Olson, commented after the presentation by saying, “I wouldn’t change of thing! It was very informative and interesting. This is a great way to get our young people thinking about their future.” Troy also said that one of the students came up to him after class to say they enjoyed our presentation.

The goal of the Bismarck-Mandan Young Professional Network is to share our personal experiences to allow them to better prepare for their futures. Hopefully these young people will see the value in joining a YP Network and value they can bring to their community. If you are interested in helping in a Stepping Up presentation please contact pd@ypnetwork.org.

Angil Wanner

Vice President, Bismarck-Mandan Young Professional Network