KOSCIUSKO — The Young Adult Professionals Steering Committee announced their signature springtime professional development event, a YAP-to-Community Leader Speed Networking event, which will be held from 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at Vitale Events.

This event will provide young professionals in Kosciusko County the opportunity to network with various community leaders. WISE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the education and support of the professional career interests of women, is partnering with YAP this year in order to connect even more people in the community to one another.

“We are excited for the event this year,” stated Kelsi Griffith, chair of the YAP steering committee. “We have more community leaders involved than ever before and are looking forward to partnering with WISE to connect current leadership in our community to the future leadership. YAP is always looking for ways to get young people involved, and this fun, casual networking event is a perfect venue to make those connections happen.”

Speed networking is a meeting format that is designed to introduce two or more people to one another in a short, structured interaction. Oftentimes this interaction is based around a business-related question or topic. The discussion that follows is generally restricted to one to two minutes, which upon ending is then followed by another discussion with another individual in the same format. It is very similar to speed dating but with a different objective.

This year’s event includes leadership from the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce, Kosciusko County Community Foundation, OrthoWorx, Lake City Bank, City of Warsaw, K21 Health Foundation, United Way of Kosciusko County, Ivy Tech Community College, Kosciusko Convention and Visitors Bureau, Brian Peterson Real Estate Group, WISE, local orthopedic companies and more.

“This is my third year participating,” stated Brad Bishop, executive director of OrthoWorx. “It’s a great way to meet young, talented people in our community who are interested in getting more involved. There are so many opportunities to plug into something you are interested in or passionate about. Plus it’s fun. There are some questions that are a bit more serious and make you think a bit about your professional career, but there are others that are just fun to answer and really allow you to get to know the person you’re chatting with at the time.”

A young adult professional qualifies as anyone who is under the age of 40. Individuals at small and large organizations are encouraged to participate. There is no fee to attend. Appetizers will be provided, and there will be a cash bar.

Those who are interested in attending as young adult professionals are required to register through the YAP Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/youngadultprofessionals/