Young Professionals Forum is a series of learning events with the purpose of providing a place where new professional employees (23-27 years) can engage with each other, speakers and facilitators to build proactive young leadership with an awareness of societal and organisational issues.

Having started work before most of my friends, I was the one who was called on for advice when everyone else started working. Even though I had at least two more years of working experience, I certainly did not feel qualified to provide guidance on some of the tough issues that my friends were going through in their new positions of employment.

A few of us started getting together every few weeks to vent about what we were experiencing and solutions would often come through sharing as peer-mentorship was taking place. I began documenting some of the recurring themes, and this is how the initial Young Professionals Forum was born. We were a few like-minded recent graduates who were grappling with our identity in facing the realities of the world of work and our expectations of it.

The intention is to encourage our members to play an active role in their own lives, career path, the organisation that they work for and the broader community. It is a place where we can engage with the facts of macro issues, and question whether we can hold onto our value system when seeking success. "Is it possible to live lives that make a difference when operating in a corporate setting?", "How do I develop my personal leadership?" are some of the questions that we address. In South Africa today, it is imperative to build a core of future leaders that understand the complex issues facing their organisations and the broader environment. At these events, participants attend presentations by leading thinkers and pioneers, where they can engage in debate. Topics discussed and debated include current and challenging issues South African organisations face in an environment of transformation. There is a strong element of personal mastery and macro issues discussed always links back to the role of the individual in these various contexts. Participants are also exposed to senior managers in organisations and chairpersons from mostly JSE listed companies to receive career-related advice.

Lesley Williams

www.gibs.co.za
To contact Lesley: Lesley@pioneersofchange.net
For information on YP Forum: ypf@gibs.co.za

Back to Pioneering Ventures