PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Welcome to BPW/Florida's Virginia Allan Young Careerist Program (VAYCP) website. Our hope is to provide current information to those interested in the benefits of participating in this exciting program either as a Young Careerist and/or as someone who is committed to working on their local/district's YC Program. We have provided links to lots of documents and resources to help your success.

The Virginia Allan Young Careerist Program recognizes the accomplishments of successful women or men and introduces them to the mission and vision of Business and Professional Women/USA (BPW/USA).

On a National level, the program, which begun in 1964, involves a competitive selection process within local organizations, districts/regions, and 53 state federations, resulting in the selection of a Young Careerist to represent each state federation at the BPW/USA annual conference. The winner of the national competition will serve as the National Representative for BPW/USA and may attend functions in her official capacity.

On a State level, the program not only focuses on recruiting and supporting Young Careerist Candidates for the State speaking competition, but also in providing an "all year" approach designed to strengthen the presence of Young Careerist activity. Since this is a relatively new concept for State Federations, there is a lot of room for creativity, fresh ideas and member-driven initiatives. To facilitate activity, we have included a suggested schedule for those who are looking for some direction. Read on below for details.

To participate in the National VAYCP program as a Candidate,
a Young Careerist must:

• Be between the ages of 21 and 35
  
• Have been employed with at least one year of full-time work experience in her/his career area
  
• Support the goals and objectives of BPW/USA.

• Be between the ages of 21 and 35
  
• Have been employed with at least one year of full-time work experience in her/his career area
  
• Support the goals and objectives of BPW/USA.

Click here for the Young Careerist Judging Criteria
Click here for the Young Careerist Speech Topics
Click here for the Young Careerist Biographical Information Form
Click here for the Legislative Platform

For more information, visit BPW/USA's website by clicking Young Careerist.
All of this information will be updated shortly after our BPW/USA National Conference in July.

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SUGGESTED SCHEDULE

Suggested Schedule to promote a
Year-Round Virginia Allan Young Careerist Program

Does your Local Organization or District have a suggestion to add???
Let us know!

This suggested schedule is just that a suggestion!! Each local organization and district has the autonomy to develop a program and schedule to meet their members' needs and goals. As you progress in your Young Careerist efforts, please give us feedback on what worked and what needs improvement. Of course when it comes to the speaking competition, there is a specific format with guidelines.

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YOUNG CAREERIST SUPPORT TEAM

The State Young Careerist Liaison Team and our committee of volunteers are a critical component in the success of BPW/Florida's Virginia Allan Young Careerist Program. Not one person, district, or local organization can do it alone.

This group of BPW members are a team of individuals who will work together to energize BPW/FL's Virginia Allan Young Careerist Programs around the state. If you are interested in participating in the VAYCP program in any capacity, please feel to contact 2007/2008 Standing VAYCP Committee Chair, Tina McLaughlin at:

Tina McLaughlin
BPW/Gold Coast District VIII
6375 Riverwalk Lane #4
Jupiter, FL 33458
Cell:561-797-1021
Email:maria.mclaughlin@seacoastnational.com

If you'd like to be part of the future of BPW/FL, and your local organization, please join our committee, and possibly consider growing into a State YC Liaison. We'll be in touch soon, but in the meantime here are some items to consider...

• Find someone at the local level to take charge of your Virginia Allan Young Careerist Program.
  
• Connect anyone interested in the VAYCP with our committee.
  
• Give the suggested schedule on this page a serious effort and promote the program on a regular basis.
  
• Email  maria.mclaughlin@seacoastnational.com and ask to be added to the Statewide Young Careerist email list where you will receive updates on important information, the National Young Careerist newsletter, and more!

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WHAT YOU'LL FIND @ FORMS & RESOURCES

Here is the immediate, pertinent information needed to get your Young Careerist Programs off the ground for 2007 - 2008. We have extracted important excerpts from the BPW/USA YC Manual, created pdf files by important subject matter, and posted them to the Download Center for your convenience.

Please don't get the wrong impression! We still ask that you inspect the 66-page manual from the BPW/USA web site because there is valuable information you can use. You don't have to download it to examine it and you can print only the pages you need. It is all absolutely free! Why re-invent the wheel when all the forms you need to promote and support your Program have already been prepared for you?

Here is the rundown on what you will find in the attachments we have provided. When applicable, we have included the page numbers (pp.) where they can be found in the BPW/USA Young Careerist Program Manual.

1. YC Guidebook - This is the manual direct from National with all of the info you'll need to get your YC program up and running.
   
2. Blueprint for Successful YCP.pdf (pp. 11-14) - Vital information for finding Candidates and Judges, planning and promoting your program, and lots more!
   
3. YC Speech Topics 2007-2008.pdf - Brand new topics for 2007 2007!!
   
4. YC Judging Criteria 2007-2008.pdf - this explains the points that judges award the different areas of the competition.
   
5. YC Bio Sheet.doc - this is a word document of the biographical information sheet that your candidates can fill in on their computers to apply to be a Young Careerist Candidate. This sheet is also included in the YCPacket pdf above (which has to be type-written by those without computers).
   
6. YC Program Schedule 2007-2008.pdf - this is a suggested schedule for Florida LO's that you can customize to fit your needs. We believe this schedule will assist you in your planning & recruiting efforts this year.

1. YC Guidebook - This is the manual direct from National with all of the info you'll need to get your YC program up and running.
   
2. Blueprint for Successful YCP.pdf (pp. 11-14) - Vital information for finding Candidates and Judges, planning and promoting your program, and lots more!
   
3. YC Speech Topics 2007-2008.pdf - Brand new topics for 2007 2007!!
   
4. YC Judging Criteria 2007-2008.pdf - this explains the points that judges award the different areas of the competition.
   
5. YC Bio Sheet.doc - this is a word document of the biographical information sheet that your candidates can fill in on their computers to apply to be a Young Careerist Candidate. This sheet is also included in the YCPacket pdf above (which has to be type-written by those without computers).
   
6. YC Program Schedule 2007-2008.pdf - this is a suggested schedule for Florida LO's that you can customize to fit your needs. We believe this schedule will assist you in your planning & recruiting efforts this year.