Leadership Institute

Virginia Allan Young Careerist Program

The Virginia Allan Young Careerist Program (Young Careerist) recognizes the accomplishments of young, upcoming leaders and provides them with professional development skills and opportunities.

Established in 1964, Young Careerist involves a competitive selection process within local organizations, districts/regions and 54 state federations, resulting in the selection of a Young Careerist to represent each state federation at the BPW/USA annual National Conference. Candidates are judged in the following areas: written and biographical information, judges' interview, their ability to help others achieve, group interaction and prepared speeches on specific topics. The winner of the national competition will serve as the National Representative for BPW/USA and may attend functions in their official capacity.

To participate in the program, a Young Careerist must:

• Be between the ages of 21 and 35;
• Be a member of BPW/USA to compete at the national level;
• Have been employed with at least one year of full-time work experience in her/his career area;
• Support the mission of BPW/USA.

Young Careerists benefit from networking opportunities, opportunities for personal and professional development, opportunities to learn about the issues of concern to workingwomen, educational programs and visibility.

2008-2009 Young Careerist Program Information:

BPW/USA 2008-2009 Young Careerist National Speak-Off
While individual state/territory federations have their own guidelines for competition, it is strongly urged by the national committee that Young Careerist Candidates be allowed to individually select any of the speech topics below.  To level the judging field with several topics to select from, it is important to stress that Young Careerist Candidates are judged at every level of competition on the quality of their speech presentation.

FAQ:  Do the local, district/region, or state levels have to select a speech topic from the national list?
Answer:  No.  However, when the state/territory representative participates in the national Speak-off, she/he must speak on a topic from the national list.

FAQ:  Can a state/territory Young Careerist Representative change her/his speech topic prior to the national Speak-off?
Answer:  Yes.  It is important that a Young Careerist Representative be allowed to select  a topic from the approved list about which she/he feels most passionate.  Feedback from past Young Careerist Representatives indicates they were uncomfortable with only one assigned topic.

It is important to note that a copy of the speech the Young Careerist Representative intends to deliver at the national Speak-off must accompany all paperwork sent to the national chair.  This paperwork must be postmarked or e-mailed by June 30, 2009.  No changes can be made after the paperwork is submitted.

SPEECH TOPICS

1. What can BPW offer women leaving military service and/or what can women leaving military service offer BPW?
2. How will you use your experience in the Young Careerist Program to enhance/change your life or to influence others?
3. How can men and children help women achieve equality and what responsibilities do women have to educate men and children on the inequalities that exist today for women?
4. How can you, as a Young Careerist, assist in educating the BPW membership on the benefits of e-Membership and other technological advances, i.e. Virtual Local Organizations, e-balloting, Facebook, etc.?
5. How can Young Careerists encourage their colleagues/peers/friends to participate in the Young Careerist or Individual Development Programs?
6. How can you, as a BPW member, assist workingwomen in educating and promoting our legislative issue of pay equity to the general public?
7. How can women’s groups partner on projects and programs? To what extent should they collaborate?

 The BPW/USA Mission Statement and the BPW/USA National Legislative Platform are available on the BPW/USA Web site at www.bpwusa.org.  Speeches are to be four minutes in length. No props are allowed and all Young Careerist Representatives will be required to remain at the podium when speaking. For additional information, please see the  current BPW/USA Young Careerist Program National Competition Guidelines as posted on the Web site. 

Please visit www.bpwusa.org for more information on the Young Careerist Program.

BPW/FL 2008-09 – Women in Transition

The “Women in Transition” BPW/FL radio program:

This year BPW/FL has expanded the definition of “Women in Transition” to include all types of transitions for women such as career change, retirement, leaving the military, layoffs, loss, marriage, divorce, children, empty nest, illness and relocation.

To this end, we have introduced a new service to our membership all over Florida and beyond. Afsaneh Noori, the chair for 2008-09 “Women in Transition – BPW/FL” has set up a monthly internet radio program to address various changes women are facing.  The “Women in Transition” BPW/FL radio program began on July 7th, 2008 and is scheduled for the first Monday of every month at 6:30 pm on Blog Talk Radio (BTR). Each show addresses specific themes such as divorce, illness, loss, etc.

Anyone with a computer and internet connection can participate. Listeners can either listen live or download the program at any time after that. You can visit http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Women-In-Transition to hear the program or call in at (347) 426-3486.

Magda Santos who is hosting her own show, “Speak Freely” on BTR, agreed to produce and co-host this program with Afsaneh. The programming has gone through a few changes:

• The program is extended to an hour in order to include new segments and deeper conversations with our guests.
• BPWFL president, Venita Garvin Valdez joins us monthly for a new segment called “President’s Insights “. She updates our listeners on BPWFL business and issues of interest to all of us. 
• After the November show, Magda Santos takes on the role of advisor as we welcome Yolanda Fairell as our new co-host. A member of the Tallahassee LO, Yolanda is a professional speaker/trainer. She primarily speaks and trains on the topics of emotional intelligence, stress management, and valuing diversity. We are very grateful to Magda for getting us started on this road and for her continuous support as we move forward.

“Women Helping Women in Time of Crises” - With a record number of jobs being lost and the national financial crisis affecting many members we need to provide support systems to help members not just survive but thrive in these times of change. We invite LOs to write us or to come on the WIT/BPWFL radio program and share with other LOs what they are doing to help their membership through transitions.

We are asking the BPW women to submit their questions and suggestions to Afsaneh at info@ChangeThrivers.com. Please join us and add your thoughts and wisdom to our program. This is a service to you and we encourage your participation. We look forward to hearing from you.

Best “Women in Transition” program Award:

Certificate for the Best “Women in Transition” program by a LO (must be documented with copies of handouts, visuals, outcome statistics, feedback, etc.) All award applications are due by May 15, 2009

Objective
The objective of this award is to recognize the LO or the district that is most effective in offering women in any transition, tools and support in making change work for them.

• Innovation in reaching most number of women in transition
• Most active and effective LO in offering tools for change

• Attracting new members
• Making a positive difference in the lives of women going through difficult transitions
• Connecting women to resources and support
• Opportunity to raise funds
• Opportunity for award and recognition at the state level

Suggestions for a Winning “WIT” Program

As a LO leadership team, discuss the importance and necessity of a “WIT” program at this time of unprecedented change. Ensure that someone in your LO is taking the lead for this program. Any successful program requires a champion that believes in the cause and is willing to put energy into achieving its goals.

This objective can be met through offering a combination of traditional or internet based workshops, support groups, panel discussions, providing lists of books, resources, support organizations and women’s programs in your community on your website.