Page 194 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2020

FINAL SAY
LINDSAY
MITCHELL
Director, Coast Young Professionals
When I accepted my position as Director of Coast
Young Professionals (CYP) at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Being fairly green in my career, I was aware of
the organization, but I was never fully involved. What I didn’t know then was that CYP would become a catalyst to my success, offering me several opportunities to network with the current leaders of today and the future leaders of tomorrow.
Coast Young Professionals services hundreds of members and has impacted hundreds more since its inception in 2007. CYP falls under the umbrella of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce whose mission is to connect, inform, advocate and develop. This also allows our members to connect with the nearly 950 businesses and more than 50,000 employees the Chamber reaches. The mission of Coast Young Professionals is simple: to develop young leaders. We do this by connecting a diverse and dynamic group of individuals through networking opportunities, professional development seminars, special events, community service projects, and more.
At every event or program we host, there is an opportunity to network. To me, this is one of the most important benefits for our members. The exposure and connections our members gain is exponential. In joining CYP, as with any organization, you get out of it what you put in, especially if you’re willing to step out of your comfort zone.
Are you networking to your full potential? Outlined below are a few outcomes you can gain by utilizing networking opportunities with CYP.
Find your voice. What many don’t know is that
CYP was created to fill the gap between more seasoned professionals and young professionals. CYP provides a platform to find your voice with opportunities to serve
on committees or the Board of Directors, to develop professionally through our robust program of work, and to gain exposure with more than 300 forward-thinking and
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diverse young professionals that span across the tri-county Coastal Mississippi region.
Find your tribe. It’s easy to gravitate toward people
in the same field of interest as you, but is that enough? Surrounding yourself with people with passion in other areas is just as important. CYP extends opportunities to
get involved with a variety of events, including: community service initiatives such as Walking on Water, after-hours events such as Black Tie and Blue Jeans Gala, leadership and learning conferences like CYP Ignite and much more.
Find your mentor. Mentorship is at the very core of the Coast Young Professionals mission. Each year, we honor
10 accomplished and influential mentors with the “Forever Young” awards at our annual Black Tie and Blue Jeans Gala. These recipients are persons of professional integrity who exemplify the spirit of service to their professions
and who have, by their leadership, made a significant contribution to the advancement of a CYP member’s career. Our members are the future leaders of tomorrow and the support of mentors ensures our success.
Personally, CYP has helped me fulfill all of these goals. It has given me a sense of community that I had yet to discover until joining and that can be contributed to the incredible members and Board of Directors we have. This feeling has only continued to grow now in my second
year as director. If you aren’t a member already, take the chance. I can promise you, if you put your all into it, you won’t regret it!
Learn more at mscoastchamber.org.
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