(Chittenango, NY – Dec. 2014) Three Chittenango High School students from the Madison County Youth Bureau’s Youth Leadership Program presented at the Association of New York State Youth Bureaus Annual Conference on Oct. 29 at the Holiday Inn in Liverpool. Juniors Cole Jackson and Kalila Lehner, and sophomore Kate Howard presented to a group of 35 youth workers from all over New York state on the Leadership Program and its impact on them.
Tina Louis, Youth Development Specialist for the Madison County Youth Bureau, met with the group to prepare for the workshop and co-facilitated at the conference. “Participant feedback was excellent,” said Louis. “Youth workers really appreciated hearing directly from youth about how they are impacted by programs and what makes them meaningful to them. Students engaged the audience from the very beginning with their comments and personal experiences. The audience was impressed with the students’ willingness to lead discussion and activities and their openness in sharing how the program has helped them to gain confidence and leadership skills.”
“I felt great being able to pull it off and to be able to talk in front of people without freaking out,” said Cole Jackson. “I was surprised people came from so far away in New York, places I’d never heard of. I felt connected to the people because I knew how they felt doing the activities in the workshop because I did them all in Leadership Program.” Cole just started his second year in the group which focuses on service learning.
Kalila Lehner commented, “I was really nervous at first, but then I went into leadership mode and became really confident! I absolutely loved doing it and can’t wait to do it again! I’m never leaving leadership, even after I graduate!” Kalila completed both the first and second year of the program and continues to be involved in service opportunities.
Kate Howard did a wonderful job as well. “It was interesting to see adults act like us teens when we would ask for volunteers and they would give attitude and would not want to volunteer! It was cool to have adults that we did not even know come up to us at the end and say they were proud of us.” Kate is in her second year in the group.
“The experience was a way to showcase the confidence and leadership skills the students developed through the program,” said Louis. “It gave me a lot of pride to see the group succeed in pulling together the workshop and providing such a great experience for adults from all across New York State.”
Students entering ninth and 10th grades who would benefit from increasing their confidence in themselves and their connectedness within the school setting are encouraged to join the group. Interested students continue on after the first year of leadership development to focus on service learning. The Youth Leadership Program runs from October to May at Chittenango and Cazenovia High Schools.