Welcome

Dear Young Colleague,

I would like to invite you to attend the First FIG Young Surveyors European Meeting, on 17th and 18th of October, 2013, in Lisbon, Portugal.

Co-organized by the Portuguese member of FIG – Ordem dos Engenheiros/Colégio de Engenharia Geográfica (Portuguese Engineers Association/Geographical Engineering College) and FIG Young Surveyors Network (YSN), this Meeting has the theme "European Young Surveyors together for tomorrow's challenges", chosen by the young organizers.

As a consequence of the first Congress FIG YSN, held in Rome in 2012, the FIG Young Surveyors European Meeting will be the first meeting of the European network of young surveyors.

The meeting, for young professionals by young professionals, has as the main objective of establishing a European network of young technicians and engineers of surveying and geographical information technologies in order to enhance international cooperation and promotion of contacts and knowledge.

The Lisbon meeting will have several sessions: "Technology, Innovation & the Future" to promote the latest equipment and technology; "YS Invited Speakers" where young professionals with successful carriers will present their innovative and developed work, and "Discussion Sessions" to enlarge and strengthen the organization of the European Young Surveyors Network.

I look forward to your participation in the First FIG Young Surveyors European Meeting in Lisbon.

Yours faithfully,
Teresa Sá Pereira
President of the Geographical Engineering College
Portuguese Engineers Association

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Eva-Maria Unger (FIG-YSN President)

European Young Surveyors together for tomorrow's challenges - well I guess there is nothing more to say about! It's a great opportunity to get together and taking over the role and responsibility we have in shaping the European Future of our Surveying profession and establishing a European branch of Young Surveyors. What are our hopes and concerns relating to technology, standards, university curriculums etc. It’s also an easy way in getting to know the FIG and CLGE, two leading surveying associations. I want to keep it short and would say don’t miss this opportunity!!!

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CheeHai Teo (FIG President)

Colleagues and Friends

I was interviewed recently and one of the questions raised relates to Youth. My response was the youth of today is the adult of tomorrow and the belief is that if we can more effectively address the issues, concerns and aspirations of the youth today, we could perhaps have a more dynamic and productive tomorrow. This belief equally applies to the Young Surveyors of today.

FIG is encouraged and thankful to Ordem Dos Engenheiros, our Member Association from Portugal and FIG Young Surveyors Network for this initiative to bring European Young Surveyors together for tomorrow's challenges. The theme of this two-day event is most appropriate given the times and I particularly like the word "together". FIG is of the belief that together as a global professional community, together with all stakeholders, and working together, there will be betterment of our society, environment and economy together with relevance for our Profession.

I like to acknowledge and thank the FIG Foundation and Comité de Liaison des Géomètres Européens (CLGE) for coming together to support FIG Young Surveyors Network and Ordem Dos Engenheiros in this initiative.

See you on 17th & 18th October 2013 in Lisbon, Portugal for the 1st FIG Young Surveyors European Meeting.

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Jean Yves Pirlot (CLGE President)

For ever Young ?
For years the problem was that I thought that I remained young in my mind and that only my hull was (ch)a(n)ging.

It was clear for me that I belonged to the generation of those who would shape the professional future on their own.

Nothing is less true.
We, the mature surveyors, are not young any more, not even in our minds. While aging, our connection to our successors becomes more and more precarious. Recognizing this, and knowing that the professions' future lays in the youth, CLGE has decided to invest heavily in this sector. For years we’ve voted on budgets to support youngsters in organizing themselves but nothing moved.

Then we created the First STEP initiative (Students and Trainees Exchange Programme), we launched the CLGE Students’ Meeting and our annual Students’ Contest. Our results were encouraging but not good enough.

Eventually, we found this incredible opportunity created by the FIG Young Surveyors Network. We understood that FIG Young Surveyors from Europe were CLGE surveyors too. Therefore we didn't hesitate to join the FIG Foundation in supporting this 1st FIG Young Surveyors European Meeting. We strongly believe in this initiative and are convinced that the existence of a European Network of Surveyors, integrated in CLGE and FIG will enable us to quicken the realisation of our strategic goals.

We encourage all our member associations to support this Lisbon event. We encourage our young surveyors to attend the meeting. In this times of hardship, everybody will not be able to join Lisbon. At least they should join the Lisbon spirit and engage themselves with the European Young Surveyors Network and CLGE.

Good luck to all of them!

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John Hohol (FIG Foundation President)

The FIG Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to help support the first FIG Young Surveyors European meeting. One of our seven initiatives in our goal to help build a sustainable future is "To support by seed funding conferences, meetings of young surveyors and similar events". Therefore, we hope that our support of this inaugural event will lead to a great realization of a successful establishment of the FIG Young Surveyors Network European region. I am very much looking forward to meeting each of you in Lisbon in October.