After several months of working together, our team weekend in Oberhaching was an important opportunity to step back from our everyday tasks and look at YPNE as a whole. Meeting in person allowed us to focus on topics that are difficult to discuss properly during regular online meetings and so the weekend was mainly about three things: reflecting on our team, preparing the next YPNE Summit and thinking about the future of the network.
A central part of the weekend was team reflection, wie took an honest look at how we currently work together, both as individuals and as a team. We talked about our roles, what gives us energy and what takes unnecessary energy, where people need more support and which tasks tend to stay with only a few people. We also discussed which ways of working we want to keep and what we need to change. This was particularly useful because it was not only about what we do, but also about how we work together and having the time and space for an open discussion helped us identify challenges early and think about how we can improve our teamwork in the future. We also looked at the current state of our projects: instead of simply going through a list of tasks we focused on what is actually moving forward, what has been started but not finished and which tasks have been with us for too long. This helped us identify structural issues and understand where clearer responsibilities or better processes are needed, but it also gave us a more realistic picture of where YPNE currently stands and what needs to happen next. Also another major focus was the YPNE Summit in May 2027. We used the weekend to work on different areas of the Summit, including the programme, logistics, finances, communication and branding. Having everyone together made way it easier to connect these different areas and see how they depend on each other.
Beyond the Summit itself, we spent time thinking about what happens after May 2027. We discussed what YPNE should look like in the future, how we can find and involve new young people and how we can make sure that projects and responsibilities can be passed on. This was a very important perspective because building a sustainable network means thinking beyond one event or one generation of the team and questions around succession and continuity are therefore an important part of our work. The weekend also included more moments, such as shared meals, an evening together and the DVBJ alumni event and so these moments gave us time to talk outside of our usual working roles and helped strengthen the personal connections within the team. So in the end we left Oberhaching with more concrete plans for the Summit, a better understanding of the challenges within our team and a stronger focus on building YPNE in a way that can continue beyond May 2027.
