NextGen, Littleton Business Chamber plan 'Adulting 101' seminars and mentorships; first homebuyer session set

Members of the NextGen Advisory Board met with representatives of the Littleton Business Chamber to discuss joint programming aimed at younger residents and employees, including a quarterly seminar series branded as “Adulting 101” and a mentorship partnership with the nonprofit SCORE.

The chamber representative said the chamber has restarted a young-professionals program and plans quarterly events; the first chamber-hosted young-professional session is scheduled for Feb. 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at a venue referred to in the discussion as “Denver Beer” and will be free for Littleton residents age 40 and under. The chamber representative said the event will include guest speakers, networking activities and information about local resources for entrepreneurs and employees seeking career advancement.

NGAB members discussed a complementary schedule of shorter, topic-focused seminars aimed at getting practical guidance to people who said they do not feel connected to existing city communications. NGAB and chamber participants agreed a March event at Kiln is under discussion as an additional homebuying or entrepreneurship session; chamber staff said Kiln had offered space at no charge for community programming.

The chamber representative said the chamber recently formalized a partnership with SCORE, a national nonprofit of volunteer mentors, and that SCORE will provide mentorship services and online trainings at no charge to workshop participants and chamber members. "They're officially a partner now, and we'll be doing more with them," the chamber representative said.

Chamber participants described membership growth and outreach strategies they said have increased attendance, including email newsletters, Meetup, Facebook and LinkedIn postings, door-to-door flyer drops and collaboration with neighboring chambers. Chamber speakers also volunteered a list of potential local speakers and sponsors that NGAB could contact for future sessions.

NGAB members asked for handouts and promotional support. Those present agreed to share logos and sponsor information for promotional materials and to coordinate with city communications staff on timing and permitted uses of the city’s official channels.

Organizers tentatively agreed on event timing and format: a 5–7 p.m. session with roughly 30–90 minutes of presentation and time for networking and Q&A. NGAB members said they will circulate suggested questions for lenders and presenters and asked the chamber to supply promotional assets they can use in print and on social media.

Speakers and organizations at the meeting emphasized outreach to employees of downtown businesses as well as business owners, and suggested placing printed one-topic handouts in high-traffic locations in town as a complement to social media outreach.

The discussion closed with agreement to coordinate schedules, confirm Kiln and other venue availability, and provide NGAB with promotional materials for distribution.