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XYBOOM Conference talks jobs and youth

Intergenerational event ignited discussion

 

By Dylan Hackett, News Editor

| ast Friday, January 20, the
three generations comprising
a majority of the employed
in the North American workforce—
Generation Y, Generation X, and
the Baby Boomers—met at the
Yaletown Roundhouse to discuss
the future of the job markets,
network with the business
community, and engage in dialogue
discussing careers, education, and
the future of the global economy.
The XYBOOM conference defined
the generations by birth-years
1946-64 for boomers, 1965-84
for Generation X, and 1985-2004
for Generation Y— the current
majority of the post-secondary
community.

“Look beyond your exam and
say, ‘I’m going to look beyond
what I’m doing right now’,”
Tammy Tsang, the Generation
Y entrepreneur and founder of
My Loud Speaker Advertising,
suggested to students attending
XYBOOM or watching the live
stream of the panels from their
computers or campuses. Schools
hosting live-stream events included
UBC, SFU, Capilano University,

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BCIT, and University of the Fraser
Valley.

The conference was organized
around a central panel of
“conversation starters” with an
inward-facing seating arrangement
aligned around the three speakers
at each of the three panels.

The speakers each represented
the generations involved and
brought different prospective and
experience forward in discussion.

“Some of the top executives
didn’t start as top executives. They
shined shoes and flipped burgers,”
explained Bogyo. “We don’t have
a lot of people willing to work $10
per hour, sixty hours a week. If you
do that, the opportunities open.”

Keeping in tune with the
macro-perspective of employment
on his panel, Generation X speaker
and Pinton Forrest & Madden
Executive Search team member

“The XYBOOM conference defined the generations by birth-years
1946-64 for boomers, 1965-84 for Generation X, and 1985-2004 for
Generation Y— the current majority of the post-secondary community.’

The main issue being discussed
was the baby boomer generation’s
exit from the workplace relative to
Generation Y’s entrance into it.

“16 per cent of boomers don’t
want to work post-retirement. That
means 84 per cent do,” said boomer
Terry Bogyo, Director of Corporate
Planning and Development for
WorkSafeBC, who had plenty to say
about young people coming into
the workforce.

Shaun Carpenter told attendees

to see the world as a place to hunt
for jobs: “Vancouver is like a resort
community. People who can afford
to live here don’t.”

“Be ambitious, be relentless,”
Carpenter advised. “Volunteer and
let people know who you are and
take whatever job you get.”

The conference closed with an
“Open Space Technology” plenary
session facilitated by Amanda
Fenton, which focuses around co-

   

  

ALL | WANT FOR
CHRISTMAS IS
TO RETIRE.

    

creation of business and workplaces
free of ageism. Conference
attendees created their own
discussion topic ideas and formed
“coffee break” discussions standing
around the topic areas. Guests
were encouraged to migrate from
topic to topic as they saw fit. Topics
included youth motivation, dealing
with technological differences, and
reverse-mentoring.

The conference room at the
Roundhouse downtown was
decorated with posters reading
messages such as the determinist
“whatever happens is the only
thing that could have happened”
and “when it’s over, it’s over.”
One corner of the room hosted
a projection screen which

displayed an active Twitter feed
full of posts hashtagged with

# XYBOOM, relaying talking points
of the conversation starters and
complaining about the weather and
long commutes.

The XYBOOM website contains
information on case studies
conducted by sponsor groups of
the conference containing useful
information highlighting many
issues discussed at XYBOOM. To
view them visit www.xyboom.ca.