Not to get political here but I think that the young people’s credibility is on the line if Barack Obama is elected as the President and does not set out to accomplish his campaign promises.
It has been said that from coast to coast young people have been showing up in droves to hear him speak and in turn vote for him at the various primaries and caucuses held around the country.
If elected he would be the sixth youngest President of the United States and this achievement will be mainly driven by the young voters.
So how does this tie in with Generation X and Y and the Young Feds? Well the Federal Government is prime for a mass retirement wave of the baby boomers leaving us the Gens X and Y prime for taking higher senior leadership positions at our agencies at a very young age.
If this happens and Obama is President and does well in Office, the young folks would have nothing to worry about because if and when we are questioned on our experience or lack thereof we can always say that Obama was given a chance and he’s done great things for the country. This obviously will not be true if the opposite were to happen.
Just Saying…
I.J Ezeonwuka, Chapter Liaison
Young Government Leaders
2007-2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
The State of Public Service
On Monday [original post 1/30/08], our boss delivered his final State of the Unions address. Thankfully, it was no swan song, no backward-looking quest for legacy. The speech was about the future, work still to be done, goals to be achieved. The President proposed a laundry list of new programs including housing reform, funding for basic scientific research, an economic stimulus package, and aid to foreign countries, just to name a few. Almost every issue was mentioned from the immediately important (the economy, Iraq) to the somewhat trivial (earmarks, medical lawsuits). But in this whirlwind of legislative priorities there was one glaring omission: government reform.
Whatever your favorite flavor of government reform is – recruitment of Generation Y (that would be most YGLers), the retirement wave, the Public Service Academy, or student loan repayment – not one was mentioned in the State of the Union. This is a remarkable omission considering the challenges our nation will face in the coming years and the role government is expected to play. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 50% of the federal workforce will be eligible for retirement by 2010, and the government is not hiring enough of us to replace them. On an issue like global warming, who do they expect to monitor emissions? Who do they expect to audit the energy companies and write the regulations? Who will be here to allocate the $300 million in new early-childhood education funds the President proposed? Who will protect the nation’s borders, initiate recalls, or help low-income Americans buy their first home?
In a nation as complex and diverse as ours, there are countless missions that are vital to our continued health, safety, and prosperity. Someone has to implement these programs. The YGL has a membership of over 1300 energetic, educated, and motivated young feds representing almost every federal agency, and chapters are springing up around the country. However, if we don’t find more young people to join us in public service, even that won’t be enough to accomplish all that the government is expected to do. But it just might be enough to begin to solve the problem.
Since the push for government reform isn’t coming from the top down, we must push it from the ground up, from the “grassroots” level. The retirement wave is an opportunity as much as it is a problem. It will open up positions to young feds throughout the government, bringing much needed innovation to bear on our nation’s challenges. It’s up to all of us to take advantage of that opportunity. The government needs innovative thinkers to question policies and procedures, to look at things with fresh eyes and ask why. Make your voice heard. Fix problems and offer solutions. If our supervisors see how well our generation can solve complex problems, they’ll want more of us.
The theme of the President’s speech was all about putting trust in the skill and determination of our people. That includes young public servants. He said, "In all we do, we must trust in the ability of free people to make wise decisions, and empower them to improve their lives and their futures." Sooner or later, the nation will be putting its trust in all of us, in our ability to make wise decisions to improve our country. We are in the forefront of a changing of the guard. Let us pave the way and show the promise of a new generation of young government leaders.
James Hedrick, Vice President
Young Government Leaders
2007-2008
Whatever your favorite flavor of government reform is – recruitment of Generation Y (that would be most YGLers), the retirement wave, the Public Service Academy, or student loan repayment – not one was mentioned in the State of the Union. This is a remarkable omission considering the challenges our nation will face in the coming years and the role government is expected to play. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 50% of the federal workforce will be eligible for retirement by 2010, and the government is not hiring enough of us to replace them. On an issue like global warming, who do they expect to monitor emissions? Who do they expect to audit the energy companies and write the regulations? Who will be here to allocate the $300 million in new early-childhood education funds the President proposed? Who will protect the nation’s borders, initiate recalls, or help low-income Americans buy their first home?
In a nation as complex and diverse as ours, there are countless missions that are vital to our continued health, safety, and prosperity. Someone has to implement these programs. The YGL has a membership of over 1300 energetic, educated, and motivated young feds representing almost every federal agency, and chapters are springing up around the country. However, if we don’t find more young people to join us in public service, even that won’t be enough to accomplish all that the government is expected to do. But it just might be enough to begin to solve the problem.
Since the push for government reform isn’t coming from the top down, we must push it from the ground up, from the “grassroots” level. The retirement wave is an opportunity as much as it is a problem. It will open up positions to young feds throughout the government, bringing much needed innovation to bear on our nation’s challenges. It’s up to all of us to take advantage of that opportunity. The government needs innovative thinkers to question policies and procedures, to look at things with fresh eyes and ask why. Make your voice heard. Fix problems and offer solutions. If our supervisors see how well our generation can solve complex problems, they’ll want more of us.
The theme of the President’s speech was all about putting trust in the skill and determination of our people. That includes young public servants. He said, "In all we do, we must trust in the ability of free people to make wise decisions, and empower them to improve their lives and their futures." Sooner or later, the nation will be putting its trust in all of us, in our ability to make wise decisions to improve our country. We are in the forefront of a changing of the guard. Let us pave the way and show the promise of a new generation of young government leaders.
James Hedrick, Vice President
Young Government Leaders
2007-2008
Vision Blog
“The minute you involve others in your vision, the minute your desire impact others, all your personal power factors will benefit from the multiplier effect. This is real leverage. It is obvious that, when you alone hold a vision, you speak with one small voice. When you recruit others to the cause, you speak with a high fidelity, mega-watt sound system.” Darby V. Checketts
I am not sure that Megan Quinn, the founder of Young Government Leaders (YGL), envisioned that the happy hour crew of ten colleagues and friends she started in 2003 would eventually become 1300+ members strong and a full service professional organization offering professional development events, social events, volunteer opportunities, job listings, etc. YGL is a testament to the impact that one person can have and the importance of giving voice to your concerns. It is important for us, the future leaders of the federal government, to continue this discussion and speak about what we think are the problems in the federal government and how we believe it can be improved. YGL strives to be a vehicle for this discussion and provide opportunities for government employees regardless of title or GS level to grow personally and professionally.
In the spirit of creating a vision and contributing to the development of future leaders, YGL Chairs and members will be hosting a weekly blog with our perspectives on the workings of government and tips for professional development. These blogs will be our own personal opinions and not reflective of the organizations which we work or YGL as a whole. If you are interested in posting a blog or have a topic that you would like us to explore, drop me an email at execboard@youngovernmentleaders
Happy blogging.
Kate Walker, President
Young Government Leaders
2007-2008
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