By Rassel Chisango, IYPS Programme Coordinator, On Behalf of the IYPS 2008 Organising Committee

rasselchisango@iypf.org

I am certainly excited once again to be in touch with all of you amazing YPs from across the globe, both IYPF members and non-members. Here's hoping that I find you equally excited about our upcoming International Young Professionals Summit 2008 (IYPS 2008) in Manchester, England from the 19th to the 23rd of August 2008.As part of our commitment to making this Summit a holistic, responsive and comprehensive Young Professionals oriented Summit we are glad to offer you this opportunity to meaningfully contribute to the whole Programme Planning process.

Accordingly, please be advised that this Consultative Program Planning Process is guided by our vision and mission as IYPF (www.iypf.org) and follows on from our two previous far reaching Summits held in 2001 and 2004 where the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were a key theme (see www.iyps.org/iyps08/past_events.htm).

This consultative process also aims at ensuring that YPs attending IYPS 2008 get the greatest possible benefit from its the various sessions. Therefore your focused participation and contributions are invaluable. Our programme will have delegate registration and Summit Introduction on the 19th, the 20th-22nd as full discussion and workshop days, and an optional on the ground field trip on the 23rd.

We will therefore have 3 days to discuss the following proposed themes, which yet again are MDGs-centric, and how IYPF can support its members and other young professionals in helping to achieve them:
· Governance, economy and education under MDGs 1 & 2
· Women and gender equality under MDG 3
· Healthcare and HIV / AIDS under MDGs 4,5 & 6
· Water, energy, sustainable consumption and infrastructure under MDG 7

Emphasis will also be made throughout the summit to ensure that we use IYPF as a platform to achieve the MDGs that entails promoting a global partnership for development.

Over and above that we will certainly have as part of our final programme such items as the Global Change Fiesta, an equivalent to "Bush Yoga", Coaching sessions, skills workshops and a Field trip. As has already been expressed, we look forward to your passionate focused contribution as we strive to set up a really difference making final YPs oriented IYPS 2008 Program that we will all enjoy!

For more details on IYPS2008 please visit www.iyps.org.