Press Kit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 3, 2008

CONTACT:  Janice Crawford, 603-356-5701, ext 2 or Janice@mtwashingtonvalley.org

MT WASHINGTON VALLEY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS LAUNCH COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS, A  HANDS-ON EDUCATIONAL SERIES

North Conway, NH - Beginning January, 2009, The Mt Washington Valley Young Professionals (YP), a group of young professional Valley residents dedicated to exploring educational and professional development opportunities, will present Leadership...Community Connections. Geared toward providing support for civic leadership and mentoring opportunities for young professionals, this series will provide hands-on learning with an emphasis on service, collaboration and experience with business and community leaders and local and state politicians. Participants will sit on local boards, and work alongside community and state leaders to learn the nuances of community involvement. This program is designed to introduce and train young professionals to become civic leaders.

Nine sessions will take place on intermittent Wednesdays from January 14 through June 24, 2009. Program days will generally run from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm with lunch provided, and some optional tours and in-depth presentations scheduled for the afternoons. Participants will have two to six hour action assignments throughout the program and two to four hours of selected readings for each session.  Participants are encouraged to outline their personal learning goals, and to track progress on these goals during the year. To graduate, participants must attend at least 8 days in their entirety.

Here is a detailed look at the complete series:

January 14th, 2009 - Meet and Greet

Meet other participants and program organizers; lay out clear expectations for participation, work requirements and anticipated outcomes; explore personal leadership styles.

February 4th, 2009 - Community Planning & Town Government

Learn about the implications of community planning for the economy, resource base, and quality of life here in the Valley, and gain confidence in your ability to analyze and weigh in on such.

February 25th, 2009 - Health Care - National Problem, Local Effects

Understand the different aspects of the healthcare system, and how they relate to community economic development (especially small businesses) and other community institutions.

March 18th, 2009 -The More You Know - Education as a Community Resource

Learn more about the education-related challenges and resources in the Valley -

demonstrating the link between quality of education and community vitality, existing

resources, and future needs.

April 8th, 2009 - An Introduction to Boards

Learn the legal, ethical and 4duciary responsibility of board members; how boards are structured; how to read Profit and Loss statements; what sorts of local organizations depend on boards -and how you can get involved.

April 29th, 2009 - Roberts Rules

Understand how to run successful and productive meetings using Robert's Rules and other standard protocols.

May 18th, 2009 - Business to Business Expo

Location: Mount Washington Hotel, 11am-8pm

May 20th, 2009 - MWV in Context - Local Representation in State Government

Meet local reps and understand their positions and backgrounds; learn about the

Executive Council; get a glimpse of how state decisions are made and how those impact our community.

Location: Statehouse, Concord

June 24th, 2009 |Wrap-Up and Graduation

Synthesize lessons learned by sharing identi4ed solutions to community challenges, wrap up program and analyze what worked, what didn't, what can be improved. Graduation celebration with local leaders Class commitments - what will you do individually and collectively with the knowledge, skills, and contacts that you have gained from the program?

Tuition is $500. Leadership MWV urges employers to support participants by providing tuition assistance.  Applications are available online at http://www.mtwashingtonvalley.org/ (scroll down to the Leadership MWV logo).  Applications, including two references, are due November 21, 2008.

For more information, contact David Rudewick at chair@mwvyp.com or Mt Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Janice Crawford at 603-356-5701, ext 2. 

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