Kane Team Presents at World YMCA Youth-Led Solutions Summit

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought most traditional working atmospheres to a screeching halt, and many people are still recovering. Young professionals who were waiting for opportunities to gain knowledge in their field experienced a major setback with training and apprenticeship programs on hold indefinitely. As businesses began to recover slowly but surely, World YMCA hosted a 3-day online summit to get young workers back on track with an opportunity to learn and connect with each other. Kane is very fortunate to be a partner of World YMCA, and we were thrilled to have Milwaukee representation at the event with our very own Brand & Creative Director Morgan Burns presenting to youth on personal branding. 

The World YMCA Youth-Led Solutions Summit: The Future of Work sought to teach youth how the workforce is transforming and presented them with interactive sessions and speaker events focusing on diverse employment pathways, in-demand skills, innovations, and entrepreneurship opportunities. Kane’s Senior Corporate Responsibility & Partnerships Advisor Kathleen Elsig played a key role in organizing the event and spoke highly of the potential that each of the youth attending holds. 

“It was clear from the conversation with young people around the world that this new generation of employees and entrepreneurs want more than a job,” Kathleen said. “They want to make a difference in the world, they have a global mindset, and they want a chance to continue learning and to work innovatively and with purpose.”

Kane is an organization that thrives when it embraces young talent, namely through our internship program. Our program brings a fresh perspective to our client work and gives college students the opportunity to build their network, gain real-life experience in public relations, and ask questions of seasoned professionals throughout their time. Furthermore, developing their brand through different experiences will help to establish a more confident and calculated approach to their work as they take on more responsibility. We encourage interns to embrace the new environment they are in and we make sure they have all the tools we can give them to take their career aspirations in their desired directions.

Morgan’s presentation on personal branding focused on using the framework of brand archetyping to hone in on the attendees’ personal brands. She is passionate about the topic because she recognizes the real challenge and uncertainty that comes with beginning your career. Locking down a unique personal brand makes the transition from training to career that much easier when youth know how to market themselves and describe their talents. 

“Understanding your personal brand gives you focus and confidence,” Morgan said. “It’s about so much more than your resume or credentials, it’s about understanding yourself as a whole — your hard skills, your soft skills, your strengths, weaknesses and traps.”

The Summit was a perfect opportunity for Morgan to speak to the future of the international workplace due to its virtual format. Her presentation reached an audience of 2,000 individuals.

The youth workforce is proactive and eager to learn how they can put their best foot forward when starting out in their career. The potential for career development is limitless, and through the Summit, Morgan learned the world is more accessible than ever. Although there are seemingly endless options of paths to take and competition surrounding you, Morgan said a personal brand helps to mitigate these challenges by providing youth with a clear framework on how to present themselves in all aspects of employment like resumes, interviews and interactions with colleagues.

The World YMCA Youth Summit was a fantastic opportunity for Morgan and the rest of Kane to be involved in an event whose message we are incredibly passionate about. 

“Kane understands that employers need to be proactive about shaping future talent pipelines, and investing in the development of highly skilled and diverse local talent,” Kathleen said.

We are proud of Morgan for offering her wisdom and we share her hopes of helping youth create meaningful connections and gaining confidence in their personal brand.

“I was beyond honored to be able to speak at the event and I hope that I was able to offer something of value to this fantastic global community,” Morgan said.