Young Professionals of Wichita is a community-based organization that offers innovative ways for young professionals in the Wichita area to socialize and expand their professional horizons. YPW's vision is to help Wichita become the Heartland's destination for young intellectual capital.
For those of you who participated in the July 21st Discussion group, and/or the online survey regarding the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) 2035, here is an update from Mim:
Greetings! This morning at the City Council Workshop, the WAMPO Pathway Plan was presented and was well received by Council members.
They had a great discussion on what our city needs to do to support all modes of transportation in a safe way. This includes bicycles and pedestrians for both recreation and transportation.
Our Public Works Department suggested looking a several existing streets and apply the Complete Streets concept to them as a pilot project. The City Council was thankful for this suggestion and agreed to support this work before they adopt any policy or allocated new dollars to this work.
This is GREAT progress toward our built environment supporting a healthy lifestyle! Janet Miller actually said she wanted to jump out of her seat and celebrate!
Please let our City Council members know that you support this movement (email addresses below), and thank them for taking an interest in making our city the healthiest place to live.
If you’re looking for something fun to do in Wichita, check out First Friday in August! Now in its fifth month, Wichita’s music crawl, presented by House of Schwan, KMUW, & Heffys BBQ Sauce, promises to be an event to remember as Wichitans continue enjoying their summer. 22 venues will showcase artists from all genres of music during the event that will take place on the evening of August 7th. Most music starts at 7pm and goes until 10pm, with many venues having acts performing later into the night. This free event seeks to draw residents and visitors of all ages to the heart of the Wichita metropolitan area to enjoy live, original music.
Organizers of the crawl have partnered with Young Professionals of Wichita to encourage the city’s youthful, emerging workforce to get out and be part of the music scene. “We’re very fortunate to have a group like YPW that seeks to cultivate young talent and draw attention to the many exciting things there are for people to do in this city. It’s essential for the long-term vitality of our community that young workers feel Wichita is a fun place where they can enjoy life and be entertained,” said Jason Dilts, ROK ICT’s Director of Community Development. ROK ICT Owner and Executive Director Jared Birckman agrees, “I hope we see more young professionals coming out to be part of First Friday. It’s a natural fit.” “First Friday is for everyone, and we have people from all generations coming to enjoy the music. It’s particularly important, though, that the critical under 40 demographic knows good entertainment exists downtown and that they can be part of the scene here,” said Deputy Executive Director Adam Hartke. For more information about this event check out www.ypwichita.org.
Heffy’s BBQ Sauce will also sponsor a free barbeque in the Old Town Farm & Art Market.
First Friday is a collaborative effort involving ROK ICT, Hartke Records, Naked City Magazine, and The Wichita Downtown Development Corporation. It offers a unique opportunity to support the burgeoning music scene in Wichita. Trolleys, provided by the WDDC, will shuttle participants between venues throughout the night. Fans, bands, venues, businesses and/or any others who are interested in becoming a part of First Friday or learning more about the times and locations of musical acts during the event can go to www.FirstFriday.org, or www.ROKICT.com.
Congratulations to the 6 YPW Members that made the list:
Hector Cortez, Spirit AeroSystems Andrante Etheridge, Koch Industries Rick Golubski, Allen, Gibbs & Houlik Sommer Keplar, Via Christi Health System Stacie Myers, Kennedy and Coe Luke Proctor, Signature Select, an IMA Company
The Class of 2009 will be honored with a banquet and awards ceremony Sept. 24 at the Hyatt Regency Wichita.
Interested in our transportation system? Concerned about the future? Where will you be traveling and how will you get there? Here’s your chance to provide input.
WAMPO is in the process of developing the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) 2035. This will be a guiding document for the transportation system through the year 2035. Strategies are being developed for the MTP 2035. These strategies will be part of the action plan to guide our transportation system into the future.
Take our online survey (you'll read through a few pages of information and the survey link is on the last page).
If you know someone else that is interested in the future of our transportation system, please forward this and tell them to take the survey.
We appreciate your input. Stay tuned to the WAMPO website to see the results.
KAKE TV (Channel 10) has started a new “Job of the Day” announcement during their Good Morning Kansas and evening newscasts. They will be featuring listings from PJ Scout, a local, free and confidential service for job seekers. Visit www.findwichitajobs.com to find out more information.
CASA of Sedgwick County is inviting YPW Members to their CASAino event held at the Scottish Rite and have offered 2 for 1 tickets! $80 get's you 2 tickets to the event and $50 is tax deductible. Click the link below for more information.
Friday, June 26th YPW celebrated its 4th birthday at their annual Founders Day event. The accomplishments of the last four year have been numerous: membership now stands at over 2000, a Board of Trustees has been established, and seven Action Teams are in place continuously organizing quality events. But it is with sights set on the future that YPW enters the second half of 2009. This Founders Day, we launched "Destination ICT," a six-month project that will "handprint" Wichita and enhance our immediate and future efforts to attract and retain young talent.
YPW will be working with Rebecca Ryan and Peter Moorhouse of Next Generation Consulting (NGC) to conduct community surveys and focus groups. "It's really exciting for Rebecca and I to be kicking this project off with such an engaged and passionate group of young professionals, and the people supporting them. Wichita has so much going for it as a city, and we're looking forward to working with Heather and the rest of the YPW team to make it an even better place for young people to build their lives, and their careers," says Peter Moorhouse, Lead Consultant with NGC.
Destination ICT has three main components: a community survey, an employer survey, and focus groups. The community survey is available now and we encourage everyone to take the survey and pass it along to others (including those who have moved away!). The employer survey will be by available mid-July and its purpose is to outline the sort of talent Wichita needs in order for our business community to remain competitive and thrive. In October, we will invite everyone from the community to focus groups in which initial findings from the web-based surveys will be shared and further input from the community can be gathered. At the beginning of 2010, Rebecca will be back in town to share Wichita’s “hand-print” as well as her recommendations on key items Wichita needs to implement to become a talent magnet.
At the Founders Day event, Rebecca Ryan posed the question “What do you want to be homesick for?” This one simple question sums up the entirety of what we want to accomplish with this project. What does Wichita need to become in order for you to be homesick for it? Through this survey and throughout the Destination ICT project, this is the question we will answer.
So what do you want this city to continue with or improve upon? Take this survey through Destination ICT to make sure your voice is finally heard. So stand up. Join YPW in shaping this community’s future. Whether you are new and have suggestions or have grown up here and what to voice your concerns. STAND UP. It is time. It is our time. Wichita is ready for our voice. Make sure yours is heard.
Excerpts Rebecca's speach from the Founders Day event:
