Forging our Future with Vision Louisville

by Rebecca Weis – YPAL President

Call us young professionals, Generation Y, or millennials, we have been labeled lazy, narcissistic, and coddled. Others say we’re the most civic-minded since the “greatest generation.” I agree with the latter. And now we, Louisville’s young professionals, have an opportunity to prove it.

Mayor Greg Fisher and his team recently commenced the public input phase of the Vision Louisville initiative, a community process to guide the future look, feel, and flow of Louisville in 25 years. That’s 2038 for those who are counting—when our generation will be 36 to 58 years old. 

During this phase of the initiative, Vision Louisville is crowdsourcing ideas through dozens of community meetings, town halls, and virtual forums. Facilitated by seven focus teams of volunteers, the initiative needs ideas for how to advance and improve Louisville’s identity, connectivity, health, green initiatives, creative core, economic growth, and neighborhoods. 

The goal is to gather 45,000 ideas in 45 days, no small feat during the summer months.  That’s where you come in. On August 7, YPAL (the Young Professionals Association of Louisville) is partnering with Vision Louisville to host an open forum where you can learn more about the initiative and share your ideas. The event is an opportunity for us to collectively brainstorm and strategize about how our city can improve to fit the needs of the future. Even if you think you have nothing to contribute, I encourage you to attend because hearing others’ vision for Louisville could inspire your own.

Young professionals are rarely afforded such a hands-on, open seat at the table in community decision-making. As Louisville’s future leaders, it is imperative our voices in this process are not lost to apathy. Do not prove the naysayers right. Instead, join me in shaping the future of our city, and by 2038, generations to come will know why ours is the new “greatest.”

YPAL’s Vision Louisville event is scheduled to take place Wednesday, August 7th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Bristol downtown.

If you are unable to attend the event, ideas may also be submitted through:

            • visionlouisville.com

            • Twitter – use hashtag #visionlou or #visionlouisville

            • Facebook – use hashtags #visionlou or #visionlouisville

            • Text Message: (502) 603-6060

About Rebecca Weis:

Rebecca is the current YPAL President and has served as a board member for 3 years. She is also Vice Chair of the Vision Louisville Identity Focus Team tasked with establishing, organizing and capitalizing on the shared identity of Louisville.

Rebecca is an employment law attorney at Stites & Harbison, PLLC, where she represents employers in a wide variety of civil suits and administrative actions.  In her spare time, Rebecca volunteers with several other community organizations including Actors Theatre’s GO Board, Give 502, Downtown Development Corporation, Fund for the Arts, and the Happy Birthday Park.