Vision 2020 Young Leaders

The Goal

Encourageandattract younger membersto become involved in the future of theIPS, particularly in serving or contributing in leadership roles around the world.

The Issue

Few young professionals see the relevance that IPS can have for them or the impact that they can have on the future of IPS. Those that are interested in becoming involved with IPS face both a financial barrier and commitment obligation.The costs for joining IPS may not be all that high but the costs incurred for having an active presence are prohibitively high for a career starter. Taking on a leadership role within IPS or even its affiliated organisations requires a commitment, one which younger members can find daunting.

The Situation

Being an IPS affiliate or officer requires a large investment from a person, both in commitment of time and finances. As one of these active members you are expected to attend a yearly meeting and presumed to attend the bi-annual conference. IPS do assist with some of the cost but the remainder is to be obtained from either employer or local planetaria group, or to self-fund. A young individual would likely find it difficult to fund themselves to attend these, and is unlikely to become an active member unless external sources of funding can be obtained.

Due to the nature of the IPS conference and the high cost (factoring in conference fees, accommodation, and transport), which varies wildly depending on location.If an employer were to fund a delegate for the conference they are unlikely to send a career starter (typically young) but instead a well-established employee who is more likely to retain the knowledge gained for the employer.

Leadership roles in planetaria groups come with certain time commitments. The role may not take many hours each day, week, or even some months, but there is an expectation they will remain in that role for a number of years. Some organisations have term limits for these roles but they can vary from two to eight years. Eight years is a daunting amount of time for a young professional as it can equal up to 33% of their current age (assuming a minimum age of 24). For a person who has only been in the field a few years they are uncertain where their career is heading and an eight year commitment may not be something they would want to take on. A two or three year commitment is possible but they would need the support of those previously in the role and support from their employer in their personal development.

The Opportunities for Success

  • Provide stronger encouragement and support for those that do want to take on a more active role from all potential sources; employers, affiliate organisations, and IPS. The scope of this support would require determining.
  • Setting term limits for all positions to give a constant flow of fresh members, and encouraging younger members to go for these positions along with providing support from the predecessor.
  • A range of junior positions lasting a short time to allow members to have an active role but without the pressure of the senior leadership roles.
  • Introductory rate membership for students or career starters to entice them to join IPS, or scaled membership rates.
  • Bursaries specifically to provide the funding required to meet the expected duties of a leadership role.

The Gauge of Success

More younger members, at member and leadership levels, either within IPS or its affiliate organisations by the year 2020