Thursday, October 29 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Portland's Ocean Gateway Terminal | www.civicleadership.org FMI or to register

A recent report revealed that nationally, only 6 percent of board members are 35 years or younger.

That figure likely comes as no surprise to those already involved in board governance. After all, young people have shallow pockets, few connections, limited attention spans, already stretched schedules and certainly not enough personal and professional experience to bring value to a board.

Right?

Wrong!

A recent ICL convening of young emerging leaders and the organizations that serve them reveals that Maine has a powerful population of 22-35 year olds who are energized, educated and eager to be engaged in their communities like never before. They respect that they have lots to learn from incumbent leaders, but they also have much to teach including lessons on new ways of being involved and organizing through social networking.

Given that Maine has the oldest population in the country, these young emerging leaders are critical to moving Maine's public, private and nonprofit sectors forward. And they must be engaged now to ensure that they'll put down strong roots to keep their families, their businesses and their innovative ideas here in our state.

So save the date for Thursday, October 29 and set your sights on the Ocean Gateway Terminal on Portland's picturesque waterfront for an evening of assumption-shattering and awareness-building as together, we embark on a LeaderSHIFT that will change the face and the future of Maine.

Together, we'll be inspired by the stories from a number of young leaders in our communities who are innovative, entrepreneurial, collaborative and ready to lead including Hannah Pingree, Maine's Speaker of the House; Will Smith, Associate Dean at Bowdoin College and Director of the Seeds of Peace Camp; and Fortunant Mueller, Principal with ReVision Energy . And we'll learn from the current best practices that engage young emerging leaders the evening's program will spotlight including the Portland Museum of Art's Contemporaries program, Portland Greendrinks and Woodard & Curran's Leadership Development Program. Plus, we'll have plenty of food/drinks, music and inspiring conversation on how to train, support, engage and connect this growing network of skill leaders.

To register, contact Shawn Hunt at 773-3254 ext. 100 or shunt@civicleadership.org.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for this event. For more information on how you and your organization can support this critical cause through sponsorship of LeaderSHIFT, please contact Celeste LaBadie at 773-3254 ext.101 or clabadie@civicleadership.org.

$50 per person includes hors d'oeuvres/cash bar
Cancellations must be received by October 21.
Scholarships available