The concept took root years ago when there was a lot of talk about the "brain drain," a reference to the large number of young professionals leaving Indiana to live and work in other states. In 2004, the Northeast Indiana Corporate Council started surveying groups of young professionals to find out what they wanted from their community. The Council wanted to know how to attract and retain talented young professionals in northeast Indiana.
The young professionals surveyed started networking, became friends, and found they had a lot in common. Since the community at large was interested in what they had to say about life in Fort Wayne, they realized that, as a group, they had the ability to influence the direction of economic and cultural growth. Far from becoming a part of the brain drain, they organized themselves into Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana, more resolved than ever to see their region succeed.
Truly, the growth of northeast Indiana is what YLNI has been about since its inception. Since then, more than 1,000 members have joined the ranks and made a big impact on the community and themselves. We have a lot of big ideas in the works, and even more on the horizon.
All of YLNI's efforts are focused on three core endeavors:
1.) Community Growth & Development
We want Fort Wayne and the surrounding areas to be great places to work and live–full of culture, arts & entertainment, great restaurants, places to hang out and things to do. We want a city that supports healthy living with parks, festivals, and outdoor activities. And to fuel this growth, we want local businesses and institutions to thrive.
YLNI takes an active role in making all of the above happen. Take, for instance, our commitment to the revitalization of downtown Fort Wayne. We have seats on the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce and the Northeast Indiana Corporate Council. Our Downtown Development Committee works closely with the Downtown Improvement District on social and advocacy initiatives. Representation like this empowers our members to do more than speculate or wish for change; we're truly engaged in transforming Fort Wayne into a major cultural hub
that benefits the entire region.
2.) Volunteering & Involvement
We believe that getting involved in the community is one of the best ways to make it grow. That's why we create numerous opportunities for members to volunteer. In fact, many of our events involve the entire community-people of all ages, whether YLNI members or not. Take the YLNI Barr Street Market, for instance. During the summer, the corner of Barr & Wayne Streets is bustling with local farmers, bakers, and craftspeople selling their goods while local musicians serenade the crowds. We also organize YLNI the Vote, a non-partisan campaign to register and educate voters during the general election.
Since community involvement is near and dear to our hearts, it's no wonder that many members are involved in volunteer groups aside from YLNI, too. We help these members connect and foster closer, more productive links between overlapping volunteer groups whose civic and entrepreneurial missions are similar. One way we do this is through Get on Board, where members are educated about serving on nonprofit boards and we help connect them to opportunities to serve on a board.
3.) Personal & Professional Development
As our members have worked to develop northeast Indiana, they've grown as individuals, too. They have networked, formed friendships and business partner-ships, learned a lot from each other and become more business-savvy at home
and on the job. To accelerate this growth, we host numerous events and programs
to help our members expand their horizons and advance in their personal and professional lives.
In recent years, we've hosted seminars like The Fundamentals of Home Buying
and Are You Financially Sound? There's also our ongoing series The CEO Experience, where members learn directly from business leaders. Our most successful endeavor,
the Leadership Institute, is an intensive five-seminar training program for members who want a launch pad for career advancement.
Regardless of which programs you choose to participate in, we guarantee you'll have fun and have lots of opportunities to network. In fact, many of our events are all about networking and meeting new people. That's a common thread you'll find in all we do–growing your social and business networks.
