The fourth annual YG Regional Summits aimed to develop regional networks among YG Group leaders and provide opportunities for the YG leaders to learn about how KSEA funding works, interact with other YG Leaders, come up with new ideas for future events, and learn how to effectively gain new members into their YG group. The YG summit was catered to the needs of the East Coast YG Groups, and YG Committee Members and National Board Directors attended the summit to facilitate discussions.
Atlanta, GA (March 31 – April 1, 2023)
Current and incoming officers from the Atlanta area (Georgia Tech) and New Jersey (Rutgers) gathered in Atlanta to hold meaningful discussions on leadership growth and ways to further develop their local YG group as a whole. Following a short networking dinner, each officer went around to share their notable successes/achievements, visions, things they wished to improve on regarding their KSEA experience, and E-board Transition Plans. The KSEA YG National Board Chair went through an in-depth walk through of the Funding Proposal Approval Process and presented future KSEA YG National Opportunities. Adding on, the E-board members who participated came up with a structured annual plan for the year 2023-24, coming up with new ideas regarding Startup events and a new panel event idea on internship searching for undergraduate students. At the end, the E-board members who participated were presented with various national YG opportunities within KSEA.
The following discussions were held in a casual environment at an Airbnb in Decatur, as well as a study room at Georgia Tech. The Georgia Tech & Rutgers Eboard members shared their struggles and successes for the year 2022-23 and walked the National Board Directors through the E-Board Transition Process. These directors brought up concerns regarding the lack of continuity among students in their respective YG Groups and the lack of upperclassmen who require less mentorship and guidance in comparison to underclassmen. The National Board Chair who was present shared his perspectives as well as relevant experiences to help brainstorm potential solutions.
According to the Georgia Tech E-Board, the transition process has been going smoothly and the new E-Board will be decided by the end of April. They have already recruited 4 Promotional Directors including 1 who has extensive experiences with organizing large KSEA National Conferences such as Ygnite, UKC Fire, and Step-Up, in hopes of improving publicity of the Georgia Tech KSEA YG Group and launching new Tech/STEM startup related events in the future.
The KSEA YG National Board Chair went through 3 different slide decks introducing KSEA YG National Board as well as tips on how to attract more members, how KSEA funding works & how to write a proper funding proposal, and a workshop on Conflict Resolution/Management.
In order to provide these E-Board members an opportunity to work on something that they can take back home, they were given time to work on an Annual Plan document that they are planning to modify and submit to the HQ for approval. They plan to continue to hold a mix of academic and social events in hopes of spreading KSEA’s values and helping with the growth of the young generation within KSEA. They are planning to invite their Local Chapter President and former Georgia Tech alumni to engage in mentorship activities and provide tips to undergraduate students on how to get admitted to graduate schools as well as obtaining internships. They identified their conflicting dates with exams and school breaks to maximize attendance and engagement at events, and came up with creative new events to collaborate with Emory KSEA YG as well. Attached are pictures of their tentative Fall and Spring event plans for 2023-24.
The program sessions were wrapped up with the conclusion of the Annual Plan, and further KSEA opportunities not limited to KSEA Undergraduate Scholarships, YGF/YPF 2024, UKC Fire 2023, STEP-UP, and HQ Panel Events were announced. The Georgia Tech E-Board members showed interest towards being more involved on the national level especially after hearing positive feedback about these events from other E-Board members who have attended in the past as well as the National Board Directors who were present.
Surveys were collected at the end of the event as a measurement of progress and success of this event, with most of the feedback being positive. Every single participant believed that this event was well organized, beneficial to personal and professional development, and helped them become more motivated to stay involved with KSEA after graduating from college.
Reported by Andy Kim,
YG National Board Chair
KSEA e-Letters 