To YEIP volunteers and members,
As 2023 draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your support for YEIP and take this opportunity to reflect on the past 2 years of my term as President.
One of the key reflections is that leading an organization is both a privilege and a responsibility. It is a privilege because it has a potential to get young people’s voice heard at the decision-making table and impact how our society will move forward for the future generations. But above all, leading an organization is a responsibility because the organization must stay an ethical and a valuable organization by adhering to its mission and mandates. The mission and mandates are the reasons an organization is created to begin with.
YEIP is no different. We must try to make sure that we are true to our mission and mandates. On this front, I am filled with pride for the work we have accomplished together. Indeed, YEIP has stayed true to its cause by ensuring three important principles of the organization:
- First, as a young professionals’ organization, our organization stayed young. It was the young people who led the organization, and it was the young people who listened to the voice of youth in our industry and disseminated what we heard.
- Second, we remained independent. Despite many external interests and pressures, it was the young people that made the decisions independently for this young professionals’ organization to move the organization forward.
- Third, we operated as a non-profit organization. It was the volunteers, who believed in the cause of the organization, that volunteered their time and effort for the organization, and every dollar was spent strictly towards advancing the non-profit mission and mandates of the organization.
As I reflect on the past 2 years, I am honored to have led YEIP with a group of people who shared these principles.
I foresee that maintaining these three principles of the organization will continue to be a challenge. However, I believe that the next leaders of YEIP are better positioned than I was in January 2022.
To conclude, there is one additional principle that I would like to share with the next leaders of the organization: the young people of today’s era will ensure sustainability. This sustainability is not only for our planet and our society but also for our organization. YEIP shall be an organization that continues to operate for years to come with one clear mission, which is youth empowerment. Whether it is now or 20 years down the line, this type of organizations must continue because our society and our planet need young people’s voice.
I am confident that YEIP will continue to thrive under new leadership, and I look forward to following the great things that the organization will accomplish in the future. Thank you for your support and dedication, and I wish you all the best in the coming year.
Ian Sug
Outgoing President
Young Energy Infrastructure Professionals