Y (p) Connect?

It’s that time of year again. Everyone’s back at work, uni is starting, and the traffic snarls and tram crushes are back with a vengeance. That week on the beach seems but an all too distant memory… But I’m excited - because it means that March is upon us! And that means its YP Connect time!

YP Connect is the annual national event run by young planners, for young planners. It’s held every year on the weekend leading up to the main PIA National Congress. YP Connect is more than just a conference. It’s a whole weekend of fun, where the emphasis is on – you guessed it – connecting! Connecting with our profession, connecting with our cities, and connecting with fellow young planners.

For many young planners, the first few years out of uni can be somewhat disillusioning. Whether you were out to change the world, make bucket loads of money, or become the next Planning Minister – these things take time. One can very quickly get lost in the day-to-day drudgery of what seem like menial tasks. That’s why it’s important to reconnect with the bigger picture and your original passion for planning – through YP Connect!

YP Connect provides a forum for young planners to learn, share, and debate the many challenges faced by our cities and communities, and what we can do as planners and designers to address them. As a uni Student I found it a great way to learn about the different directions that I might like to take my future career. From pop-up interventions raising Christchurch from the rubble, to the possibilities afforded by new tools and technology, or the experiences of planners working overseas in Sri Lanka and Vietnam, there’s always been something to inspire. Excellent speakers abound. One highlight of last year’s YP Connect was the stirring address by Mitch Silver, President of the American Planning Association. (It also turns out Mitch knows a thing or two on the dance floor!).  

YP Connect is heaps of fun and a fantastic way to explore our nation’s great cities by day and by night. The Amazing Race is a fast and furious tour of the host city, and a chance to break the ice with fellow young planners. The official welcome and closing functions are always a blast – I say no more (what happens on tour, stays on tour!). The study visits always provide much food for thought – a tour of the innovative New Acton precinct at last year’s YP Connect pleasantly challenged my perception of Canberra!

However, perhaps most importantly, attending YP Connect provides the opportunity to meet, connect and form new friendships with other young planners from across Australia and overseas. The start of a network that we will collectively draw upon throughout our careers – to share, learn and support each other in tackling the local and global planning challenges of our generation. It is for these reasons that I always look forward to attending YP Connect, and will always enjoy catching up with old friends and making new ones.

So yes, you may be honking your horn at me because the light’s turned green – but that’s because my mind is in another place. I’m thinking of fun times ahead – to Sydney, March 15, 2014. YP Connect. See you there!

YP Connect will be held in Sydney from 15-16 March, 2014. For more information and to register please visit www.piacongress.com.au

Article by Andrew Bishop GMPIA

Andrew Bishop is a Strategic Planner at Wyndham City Council and can be contacted at andrew.bishop@wyndham.vic.gov.au