Newspaper Page Text
Tr :-$yfje
Page 4B
THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, JANUARY 17 - 23, 2019
Johnson
Mosely
Fletcher
Turano
Vaughn
Young professionals come together
to create a better Georgia
BY KATHY MITCHELL
Each year since 2012, a
group of up to 50 young Georgia
professionals has come together
to make the state better one
community at a time. This year’s
members of an organization called
Young Gamechangers—including
eight DeKalb County residents—
will for six to eight months use their
talents, energy and experience to
find ways to improve the Monroe/
Walton County area approximately
47 miles east of Atlanta.
Young Gamechangers, a division
of GeorgiaForward, is a leadership
action program that brings
together Georgia professionals
40 and younger to help solve
persistent challenges of one Georgia
community, according to its
website. GeorgiaForward defines
itself as “a nonpartisan, nonprofit
organization working to strengthen
communities, unite our state and
create a talent pipeline within
Georgia.”
“The Young Gamechangers
program brings together some of
Georgia’s brightest, most forward-
thinking young professionals from
the ages of 24 to 40 who have
volunteered to help communities
around the state,” according to
Kris Vaughn, executive director
of GeorgiaForward. “The idea
is to generate big ideas and
recommendations for persistent
challenges in a Georgia community.
The community then prioritizes and
implements these ideas.”
Both the volunteers and the
communities in the program have
gone through a selection process,
Vaughn said. “We have a selection
committee that each year brings
together a volunteer group, two-
thirds of whom are from outside the
target community. The committee
seeks to create a group that’s a
mixture of men and women and
diverse in terms of background,
experience and where they fall
within the 24 to 40 age range.”
Vaughn said participants come
from such areas as business, law,
public health, real estate, urban
planning, the arts, nonprofits and
academia. “It really doesn’t matter
as long as they are big thinkers,
innovators and creative, civic-
minded people, who will roll up
their sleeves and get the job done.
We are so fortunate here in Georgia
to have such an excellent pool of
young professionals to draw on.
Each year, we have more applicants
than we can accept; however, those
who don’t get in the first time are
free to apply again for another
year,” she said.
“On the first day of their
first two-day visit, we have the
volunteers tour the area without
being told what the community
has identified as its challenges.
We want them to just get a feel for
the community before they start
thinking about what they can do
for it,” Vaughn said. The group
is presented with four challenge
questions and asked to make three
recommendations in response to
each.
The Young Gamechangers
develop a blueprint for
community improvement with
recommendations for a timeline,
budget, possible funding sources
and expected impact; however, the
community implements the plan.
Vaughn offered as an example of
Young Gamechangers projects one
created in Dublin, Ga., in 2013.
“The city had a vibrant downtown
that was surrounded by blight. That
year’s group recommended a river
walk connecting downtown with
other areas.”
Charlie Moseley of Decatur,
who is one of this year’s Young
Gamechangers, said he is eager to
get started on a project in this year’s
target community. A 36-year-old
Georgia Power employee, Moseley
said he has long had an interest in
community improvement. “In my
economic development position, I
am often involved in projects that
make communities better, but I
don’t always see the results of our
work. With Young Gamechangers,
we will walk away with a tangible
product. That will be a nice
takeaway.”
Many of the volunteers,
including Sarah Fletcher, were
attracted to the program’s leadership
development potential. “I’m self-
employed so I don’t automatically
have opportunities to work with
colleagues on projects that develop
leadership as I might if I worked for
a company. So, I have to go out and
create those opportunities.”
Vaughn called the program
“unique because it’s a leadership
action program. Not only are there
opportunities for networking and
professional growth, but these
young leaders create real blueprints
for change.”
Abigail Johnson, a Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
employee, said she heard of the
program from a colleague and it
sounded like an ideal match with
her skills and interests. “I had been
yearning for more community
involvement and the opportunity
to work with other young
professionals from a variety of
backgrounds sounds very exciting
to me.”
Abby Turano said she brings a
unique perspective to the program.
“I’ve traveled around the state and
around the world with Georgia’s
economic development organization
and I’ve had the opportunity to visit
many communities and see what
works in terms of tourism, the arts
and many other areas,” she said,
adding “besides, I have a brother
in Monroe so I’m already familiar
with the area.”
Other DeKalb participants in
this year’s program are Yterenickia
Bell, Kelly Griendling, Daphne
Bond-Godfrey and Melissa
Waller. The project kicks off Jan.
31 at the Monroe City Hall.
