This year APA LA’s YEPP (Young and Emerging Planning Professionals) began its mentorship program, which matches experienced planners and those in related fields with new graduates and young professionals in order to create a long-term partnership between like-minded individuals and to provide career guidance and influence a new generation of planners. 

 

On the 26th of February YEPP hosted the kickoff event for the 2015 mentorship program at Mercado La Paloma. The event was geared towards introducing the mentors and the mentees in an informal setting, which included a short introduction on APA LA, a discussion of AICP certification by our own Christopher Palmer, an Ice-breaker game, break-out sessions on five themes – Urban Design, Zoning and Land Use, Transportation and Environment, Real Estate/Economic Development, and Community Development, and short presentations by each group. Each of our thirty or so guests had an opportunity to introduce their interests and to discuss the issues that are most important to them.

 

Throughout the evening our participants enjoyed delicious food by Thai Corner, and mingled before and after the planned items on the agenda. It was truly inspiring to see so many creative and energetic people, most of whom had never met, engage in passionate conversations about the state of planning in Southern California and its future. We would like to thank Mercado La Paloma for their hospitality and for providing a warm atmosphere for our event. Please stay tuned for more YEPP events in the coming months!

 

Click here for photos of the kickoff event.

 

For more information about YEPP, click here.