Greater Omaha Young Professionals

Literacy In the Community You Love

Peter Kageyama, 2012 Young Professionals Summit

Members of the YP Inclusion Committee discussed chapters 5 and 6 of Peter Kageyama’s “For the Love of Cities” and heard presentations by the Literacy Center at the April 26 meeting.

Kageyama was a speaker at the Feb. 29 Young Professionals Summit and has inspired us to check out his book.

Chapter 5 Discussion: “What Makes Cities Lovable”

• “No one ever fell in love with a city because they fixed the potholes. No one falls in love with a place because of these maintenance issues. We fall in love with a place because of some emotional connection; often a small and seemingly insignificant thing that makes us smile, that speaks to our hearts and appeals to our higher nature.” – Peter Kageyama, “For the Love of Cities”
• Page 71: “In economic development circles we tend to think of people leaving (brain drain) as being the result of some kind of failure or deficiency on the part of the losing city. That is not always the case, and in fact it may be the exception rather than the norm. People change and evolve. It happens in our personal relationships and it certainly happens in our relationships with our cities.” What do we love? What do we hate?
• Page 77: “Many have decried the Internet as a primary reason for the decline in social capital. Instead of having “real” friends, they say, we have virtual friends. Instead of meeting, we chat or skype. Instead of calling, we tweet or text. To some, this is evidence of the loss of social capital and a cause for concern.” Does the perceived limitation of our current social capital, influence our connections to people?

Chapter 6 Discussion: “Increasing the Love”

• Page 121: “We tend to think of our cities as being composed of grand elements: buildings, streets, stadiums etc. “If you believe in mega projects, move to China. That’s where all the big, industrial mega-projects have gone. Economic development today {e.g. U.S. & Canada} is about literally hundreds and thousands of little things that you do slowly and cumulatively at the neighborhood and community level.” Richard Florida Absent a main gathering area in our city, do the mega projects (e.g. TD Ameritrade Park, the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, CenturyLink Center Omaha) foster a sense of belonging? Or is it the community/neighborhood level engagement that resonates with you?

• Page 127: “Whatever value you are trying to project: fun, creativity, or safety even, that value can be conveyed with a series of visible and persistent reminders. But what values are you currently projecting? Look around and see what your city is declaring to the world.” Peter Kageyama  What is our story?  If we don’t like what our city projects, how do we change the narrative?

The Literacy Center

Kirsten Case, executive director of the Literacy Center, joined the committee to educate members on the mission of the organization as well as some of its current projects.   The mission of the Literacy Center is to empower adults and families by helping them acquire the literacy skills and practices to be active and contributing members of their communities.

The organization focuses its work across the community by offering free instructional courses including helping adults obtain their GED. The center was started more than 40 years ago by a local librarian and is located 1823 Harney St. The center reaches more than 300 people a year, and maintains more than 100 active volunteers.  Future plans include mobilizing the center to become more accessible to the local community.  

The Literacy Center is looking for YPs to serve on its various committees.  The areas in need of volunteers include: marketing, programming, fundraising, outreach and finance.  Please contact Kirsten Case for more information at 402-342-7323.

Attend the next committee meeting on May 31 at 5:30 p.m. at Joslyn Art Museum (2200 Dodge St.). The committee will be discussing chapters seven and eight respectively titled “Love Notes” and “For the Love of Cities”. There will also be a presentation by the Women’s Fund of Greater Omaha.

Livability Prediction for Communities

The 13 metrics are decided by Gallup researchers and evaluate what a community has or is in the works of addressing in order to determine the ideal community in which to live. The metrics were in the categories of economy, workplace, community and personal choices. A combination of strong scores in the categories indicated positive future growth.

Nebraska and Iowa fell into the West North Central region, along with Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Kansas. The region scored the highest among economic indicators including the ability to be employed full-time and the economic confidence index.

Gallup associates full-time employment with higher Gross Domestic Product and improved wellbeing. Economic confidence index is linked to locals feeling optimistic about the economy and its future. The region also scored well in regards to community indicators such as it being an easy place to find clean, safe water.  Gallup regards the concept of having access to clean, safe water a direct relation to city optimism and the ability to feel basic needs are being met.

The analysis looked at nearly 480,000 interviews of U.S. adults conducted by Gallup since 2011. For a closer look at the Gallup study, visit the Gallup Wellbeing website and check out Business Insiderfor a short summary.

Board Corner: Young Professionals Building Companies and a City

There is a wonderful movement taking place in Omaha and you can be part of it, no matter your profession.

 Many young professionals in companies and nonprofits are starting young professionals organizations. The growth has been organic and  supported by the Greater Omaha Young Professionals every step of the way. So, what are YP organizations and how did they get started in Omaha?

The purpose of YP organizations is to create a community, both in business and in the city as a whole. Many focus on the 40 and under crowd and promote educational experiences, contribute to charities and provide networking opportunities.

In 2007 and 2008, three companies, Omaha Public Power District, Lamp, Rynearson and Associates and HDR, were all starting YP organizations. I helped start HDR’s Omaha Young Professionals Group in 2007 and served as its first chair. I was then given the opportunity to serve as HDR’s National Chair and oversaw the development of 50 local YPGs in offices across the nation. At HDR, YPGs are successful in offices of all sizes from 20 to 800.

OPPD, LRA and HDR decided to join forces to help each other navigate the challenges of obtaining executive approval, engaging the YPs in their companies and creating successful events in order to continue the growth of our YP organizations. Union Pacific Railroad joined shortly after and this was the start of the Council of Companies. Today, the Council of Companies counts members from more than 45 companies, and includes the likes of TD Ameritrade, Mutual of Omaha, Hayneedle, Oriental Trading Company, LEO A DALY, Lincoln Financial Group, Farm Credit Services of America and Gallup.

Melissa Glenn of TD Ameritrade and Jeannie Swircinski of UP currently co-chair the CoC. Mark Pohl (OPPD), Joe Zadina (LRA), Luke Christiansen (UPRR) and I joke that we are the “grandfathers” of the CoC.

Along the way, I became somewhat of a resource for helping other companies start up their own YP organizations. If you are interested in starting a YP organization in your company or nonprofit, you are welcome to contact me at meagan.schnoor@hdrinc.com, Melissa at melissa.glenn@tdameritrade.com and Jeannie at jmswirci@up.com. The next CoC meetings will be held July 26 and Sept. 27. The CoC is also co-hosting a Jazz on the Green event on July 26. The events are open to anyone.

Join the movement. Create a community. Start a YP organization.

Meagan Schnoor

YP Board: 2012 – 2014

Environmental scientist at HDR

Mentoring for the Future: Midlands Mentoring Partnership

Most people grow up with an adult figure in their life who was instrumental in shaping their future. Some kids aren’t so lucky. Midlands Mentoring Partnership addresses that issue. Formed in August 1999, MMP is a nonprofit that tries to provide quality mentors for kids in need in the Omaha area. Below are MMP’s goals:

• Promote awareness and build the youth mentoring movement as not just nice, but necessary.
• Address underserved populations and communities to increase the number and quality of mentoring relationships.
• Increase the awareness and practice of mentoring standards in the community.
• Increase collaboration between mentoring agencies and connect resources for mentoring organizations.
• Raise the discussion level about data collection and evaluation to new heights.

Mentors are always needed. You, too can be a mentor! MMP states that “no special skills are needed — just the willingness to care and spend time with someone who needs you.” If you are interested, visit Midlands Mentoring Partnership. Once there, select a mentoring program that you want to support.

Want to learn even more? A great opportunity to learn more about the Midlands Mentoring Partnership is available on July 26 at the Jazz on the Green Purely Social. MMP volunteers will be on hand to answer questions that you may have. Then, join the Mutual of Omaha Emerging Leaders Network, OPPD and Greater Omaha Young Professionals to experience the cultural, musical and artistic elements of Jazz on the Green while building networks with other young professionals. Meet up with the group in the VIP section at Cantina Laredo for appetizers during the event. Register before the event sells out.

We encourage you to take a look at Midlands Mentoring Partnership. A kid would be grateful if you could improve his or her life.

Commuting Differently

Have you noticed less traffic, lately? The Commuter Challenge, going on until Aug. 3, is driving people to try other commuting options than drive-alone trips such as bus, carpools, biking and walking.

To participate, register online and then replace one or more of your drive-alone trips with another transportation option. Those who sign up and track their trips online will accumulate points and will be eligible to win prizes, including those for the top point earners in total miles accumulated and overall points. Individuals can also win prizes through random weekly drawings. Although the challenge ends on Aug. 3, we hope your new mode of transportation will continue!

The first weekly drawing saw participants win ice cream at Ted & Wally’s, Old Chicago pizza, $25 to Soul Desires Coffee Shop and a 30 day Metro bus pass. The drawings continue throughout the challenge; if you log a ride, you are eligible for the raffle! The challenge is sponsored by Metropolitan Area Planning Agency and Metro.

Did you know MAPA also offers free online carpool matching service for employees in the metro area? How cool is that?

Check out both organizations to learn more about what they’re doing to increase transportation options in the Omaha metro.

Voting is as American as Apple Pie

Every four years there is a uniquely American process that captivates the country and the world — a presidential election. Citizens cast their vote and power is peacefully transitioned from one administration to another.

You can find Voter Registration Applications at banks, post offices, libraries or online.

The date to remember is Tuesday, Nov.6. You can vote any time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. After you are registered, an integral part of voting is standing between you and the ballot box. You must research the candidates that will be making policy decisions for you. Know who you are voting for and make an informed decision about a candidate that aligns with your priorities.

You meet the voting requirements, you have registered and now you’re ready to vote. If you are uncertain of where your polling location is, contact your County Clerk/ Election Commissioner’s office or look it up online.

Voting is an important part of being a citizen.

Let your voice be heard on Nov. 6!