The NEWEA Young Professionals (YP) committee focuses on fostering increased interest and participation in the NEWEA organization by water and wastewater professionals new to the industry. The committee plans and runs events throughout the year including a networking and mentorship program at the annual conference in January, wastewater treatment plant and brewery tours (aptly named Poo & Brew), and social events in partnership with NEWWA and NE APWA.
2016 Mentoring Day at NEWEA’s Annual Conference in Boston, MA
Over 25 young professionals attended a successful networking and mentorship event at this year’s annual conference which included an hour of “speed networking” over lunch. If you’re interested in being a mentor at next year’s conference, please email the YP committee chair for more information.
The YP committee hosted two successful “Poo & Brew” events in 2015, including tours of Deer Island WWTP and Mystic Brewery in May and tours of Upper Blackstone WWTP and Wormtown Brewery in October. The committee, in conjunction with NEWWA YP and APWA YP, will be kicking off 2016 with an April tour of Framingham’s Henry King Wastewater Management Facility and surrounding water and roadway upgrades followed by a networking event at Jack’s Abby Beer Hall. Keep an eye out for additional Poo & Brew events throughout the year, including in the Connecticut and Vermont regions by popular demand.
YP’s Famous Poo & Brew Events
NEWEA’s 10th Annual Planning Session took place on March 6-7, 2016 in Manchester, NH. The primary goal of these Planning Sessions is to improve the Association, in order to benefit members and the interests of the water quality profession. This year the Planning Session focus topic was “YP and Student Engagement”. Over the course of the two-day event, workgroups brainstormed and discussed goals/objectives related to this topic, and left the session on Monday with tasks and action items for implementation.
The three main initiatives identified on the Young Professionals side of the discussion were:
- Establish and refine the YP Committee structure;
- Communicate the value of being involved with NEWEA as a YP; and
- Establish a YP Summit as a venue for mentoring/professional development at the Annual Conference.
You will be seeing signs of these initiatives being implemented over the course of the next year. Please feel free to reach out to the YP Committee Chair if you are interested in assisting with these initiatives and with improving the association for YPs!
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