As the millennial population continues to grow, it’s no surprise the Young Professionals Network (YPN) movement is also expanding, with committees popping up from coast to coast to coast.
In 2015, we conducted an environmental scan of the YPN movement taking place across both Canada and the United States. The goal was to understand growth within this demographic and how we can best support the initiative. After meeting with several Canadian YPN committees, we’ve identified three areas:
Promoting professionalism and identifying future leaders
Our main role is to foster collaboration between YPNs at the national level. Through quarterly national YPN conference calls and the annual National YPN Summit, we help cultivate communication within the #REALTORypn community, provide networking opportunities and offer updates on ongoing activities. Ultimately, YPNs are a forum for teaching and encouraging the highest level of personal conduct and professional values.
Support local and provincial YPN efforts
YPNs are also designed to connect and engage young or new members of a specific profession, field or geographic area. And just like all real estate is local, offering ongoing support to local and provincial YPNs helps demonstrate the benefits and value they receive as part of their membership. The YPN page on REALTOR Link® features resources for committees, including everything from budget templates and event checklists to sample proposals and a speaker directory. We also created the YPN Handbook with input from YPNs across the country to guide boards and associations from the first steps of evaluating the viability of a YPN, through to hosting their first event. It’s important to note that while we provide a variety of resources, boards and associations are responsible for setting their own standards and guidelines.
Foster a culture of engagement and promote thought leadership
Ultimately, successful YPNs should provide new and young REALTORS® the opportunity to engage with the REALTOR® community and grow their professional careers. Our annual National YPN Summit gathers YPN leaders for a full day of workshops, knowledge-sharing, thought leadership and networking. Over the past couple of years, we have been fortunate to attach the Summit to popular real estate events: Atlantic Connection and Banff Western Connection. And, in 2018, we look forward to putting together another fantastic Summit! We’re also expanding our reach by providing a Canadian representative for NAR’s YPN and to attend various YPN events south of the border. We’ll also be featuring more YPN-specific content right here so be sure to visit CREA Café often and reach out if you’d like opportunity to voice your expertise.
Remember, whether you’re a board, association, member wanting to start a committee or an already-active YPN member, we are here to support you.
To learn more or join our national conference call, feel free to get in touch with us at ypn@crea.ca.
