With InLiquid’s Young Professionals Night happening this Friday the 5th from 5 – 10 pm, it is officially time to get your game faces on. Get your thumbs in position to Press Bid to Play, and get ready to take home a prize! If there were ever a dream game for artists and art collectors, this would be it. Consider this night a checkpoint on the way to success.
This notable opportunity for the young and aspiring offers the chance to connect with a number of organizations, each offering unique means of getting involved in the Philadelphia area. We talked with Stacey Mosley, a leadership member for Young Involved Philadelphia, about their program and their involvement in this year’s Benefit.
Zara: What is Young Involved Philadelphia and what is the organization all about?
Stacey: Young Involved Philadelphia is an organization that focuses on promoting active citizenship and leadership among young Philadelphians. We do that through a variety of means but really our goal is to engage young Philadelphians with issues that matter to them, to educate them about those topics and then connecting them to resources, organizations and people that they can either continue learning from or then volunteer for. This happens through a lot of our events that we have.
Zara: What types of events does YIP have and how do members find ones that will interest them?
Stacey: We have happy hours, where people in the young demographic can get together to socialize. We also have tours and a Run Club where people can actually get an inside look into different organizations around the city, like many of the non-profits. We’ve actually had a number of tours at places like Broad Street Ministries, MANNA, and the Academy of Vocal Arts. In addition to that, we have had a lot of topic-focused events. For example, last year we had a Council Candidate Convention at WHYY where anybody could come for free to meet all of the people who were running for council. They were able to open up dialogue and craft a real conversation with candidates. These are the opportunities that Young Involved Philadelphia has to offer. To get engaged, members just have to do the research and take the initiative to find events that interest them. They can just start coming to programs and there’s no formal membership. Everyone is welcome to come out and join us. We do have a newsletter that can people can join to stay up-to-date on events coming up.
Zara: It sounds like YIP offers an abundance of opportunities for young people in Philly to get involved. What’s the next major event?
Stacey: We have two great programs coming up. One is the Happy Hour coming up on February 25th at the Field House from 6 – 8 pm. We also have a partner event with the Fellows Institute for Government at the University of Pennsylvania on March 11th. This event will focus on innovation in the federal government! More information on that event will be announced.
Zara: How is YIP participating in InLiquid’s annual Benefit and silent auction this year?
Image from Young Involved Philadelphia’s #SOYP14 Millennial Mouth Off
Stacey: We’ll be tabling to inform anyone about our events and our Board Prep Program, a program we use to create a closer connection to a lot of nonprofits. It allows members to match themselves with boards of organizations that are in need of people and representation. It happens twice a year and we have cohorts of about 40 people learning all different kinds of lessons about how to be a responsible board member for a nonprofit organization. We teach people about fundraising, legal and ethical responsibilities, building a relationship with constituents, as well as strategic planning. We’ll be at Young Professionals Night to give people a chance to connect with us and learn more about YIP.
Zara: The theme of this year’s benefit is Press Bid to Play. Participants’ primary objective is keeping their eyes on the prize, one of many one-of-a-kind art pieces for sale, and to take one home with them! What prize do members of YIP walk away with as they continue to stay involved?
Stacey: I would say it’s really about walking away with a sense of community. Being able to feel connected and enabled to make a difference in the Philadelphia community is definitely a prize. It’s about knowing the right people, knowing the right information and really being able to act!
To become a Supporting Member for Young Involved Philadelphia, follow this link: http://younginvolvedphila.org/members-partners/members/
Press Bid to Play at Benefit 2016, February 5 – 6 at Crane Arts.
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