Environmental and Social

YoungProfsNet

Development Practitioners

This website is under construction

YoungProfsNet is an international voluntary network of environmental and social development practitioners.  In YoungProfsNet young environmental and social development professionals join forces to foster their professional development by working together on subjects and projects of common interest outside their direct sphere of work.  The emphasis will be on environmental and social development policy, strategy and management, on impact assessment regulations, procedures and practice, and on environmental and social development auditing and (value assurance) review.  Cooperative learning and development will focus on identifying and applying international best practice and on available environmental and social sustainability performance standards and guidelines. 

For the time being, please find YoungProfsNet under Groups on LinkedIn.  This is an open group, which you can join freely.

Background
Young environmental and social development professionals have varied experiences at the start of their careers.  Many of them work with engineering and consulting companies that focus on productivity in a competitive market.  As a result, they have limited opportunities for learning and development in their fields of expertise and work.  At the same time, there is a vast body of publicly available experience and documentation on all aspects of environmental and social development.  If young professionals would work together to mine relevant sources of information and combine their own knowledge and experience, they will be able to manage their own personal and professional development better for their own and for other young professionals’ benefit.  Experienced environmental and social development experts and managers may be drawn in to act as coaches for and referees of the project work undertaken by network members. 

An international cooperative learning and development network of young professionals
We propose to set up an informal international network of young environmental and social development professionals, who would like to work together in order to foster their personal and professional development.  While we imagine that members in one particular country may also find opportunities to meet and work together in person, our expectation is that network members will conduct most of their activities over the Internet.  In fact, we are convinced that the international cooperation of young professionals will add welcome greater diversity and value. 

How to join
The network is an initiative of Eva Kimonye in Kenya and Maarten Smies in the Netherlands.  They will start as network directors and administrators.  Young professionals interested to join the network can do that on our Group page on LinkedIn.  Please tell us your personal aspirations for joining the network.  


Last updated on 30 June 2015