Kanawha County Teen Leaders: A Case Study

As expected, almost every Gateway Academy student complained about the length of our previous summer reading assignments. In an attempt to appease the masses, this summer we were given Teen Leadership Revolution: How Ordinary Teens Become Extraordinary Leaders by Tom Thelen. Through fourteen chapters Thelen discusses fourteen topics ranging from bullying to self-discipline to honesty. These chapters paired with their respective questions promised to help teens “navigate the storms of life and become great leaders”. While this book was, as promised, shorter than previous assignments, it was also irrelevant, poorly written, and not appropriate for readers my age.

Like most adolescents, my adolescent years were spent trying to find myself and for some reason, while I was in college majoring in health education, I somehow felt incomplete. I wanted to practice what I learned as a health education and promotion major into action. Using my knowledge from my Assessment, Implementation, & Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs course; I implemented a program called the Student Wellness Ambassador Team (S.W.A.T). The Student Wellness Ambassador Team is a student organization created to educate, raise awareness, and promote mental, physical, sexual health and wellness by providing educational materials, hosting forums, and events on campus in conjunction with the Health Education and Wellness Center on campus

Last summer I volunteered to be a camp counselor at a camp in Blowing Rock, North Carolina called Camp Sonshine. This camp is different from others in that they bring children ages 5 to 18 from inner city Memphis, Tennessee to the Appalachian Mountains. This

Primary clients and stakeholders involved in the program are: teens, parents, volunteers, schools the teen court coordinator Tamisha Fletcher, judges, Teen Court Advisory Board, City of Arlington officials, and the community service agencies who provide work for teens to complete community service hours. The program’s success depends on

For over 60 years, Camp Young Judaea Texas (CYJ) continues to flourish and expand our reach in local Texas communities. We receive over 600 campers each summer and administer programming to over 5,000 individuals during the year. CYJ is committed to providing individuals of all financial backgrounds with opportunities to be a part of our camp programs. Through dynamic camp activities and superior retreats, our organization supplies both children and adults with a fun, educational space that fosters spiritual growth, social activism, philanthropy, and a passion for preserving the environment.

I am writing from the Youth and Teen Unit of the City of Daly City Department of Library and Recreation Services. Every summer, there is an opportunity for teens in 8th - 12th grade (ages 13-18) to join our Volunteen Leadership Program (VLP). This program runs in conjunction with our Summer Youth Recreation Program (SYRP), which caters to children (ages 6-12), giving positive and exciting social diversions through recreation. Volunteens work side by side with our Recreators at a SYRP site, giving them opportunities to give back to their community and earn service credits for their school (if applicable). Furthermore, Volunteens learn life skills such as: team building, effective communication, leadership roles, and how to be a positive role model to the youth. Our aim is to prepare youth in our community to become future Recreators in our programs.

Before I had come into high school, there was no way for people who wanted to pursue health to get involved with any other students with that same desire. When this club, called the Health Organization for the Students of America (HOSA), was finally created, I wanted to join and maintain a leadership position immediately. I was elected as chairman and was ready to make a mark on New Albany High School. As a chairman, I was responsible for making the school become involved in interscholastic competitions with clubs similar to ours. By performing in these interscholastic competitions, the students of our school would gain an application to the breadth of knowledge learned in classes to the practical field of medicine. In our first year, we were

When I was 9 years old, I attended Dallas Valley Ranch Camp. I was a camper for 7 years and every year I looked forward to going back. Dallas Valley embodies similar values and principles as to Conexus such as concern for community, meaningful difference and integrity. This camp has truly changed my life and made me who I am today. Their staff inspired me, made me feel welcome and believed in me. Dallas Valley is a place where I could be myself, have fun and grow. When I was 16, I jumped at the chance to become staff. I have volunteer for two summers and this year I will be back as paid staff. As staff, I quickly learned that I am now a role model and kids are watching my every move at all times. Additionally, I found out that kids are a challenge!

Louisiana 4-H making a difference in the lives of youth was presented to me as the best presentation we had all semester. This programs main focus is youth development, prevention, and education. For prevention the focus is risk and risk factors, for education it focused on skills and knowledge, and last youth development focused on developmental needs. With these three main focuses they all had three common goals such as eliminating or reducing problems, competency in knowledge or skill, and most importantly maturity. Reaching a very diverse group of youth, grades K-12, it is very important for them to develop and mature each year in the program. The mission of the program is through non-formal research-based, experiential activities, 4-H

A new group of WVU researchers focused on understanding members’ completion rates of 4-H projects. The research keys on another of the three primary West Virginia 4-H service delivery components: experiential learning projects. As a companion to the “4-H Club Members’ Self Report of Meeting Attendance,” study, the current research being conducted by Byars, Hicks, Ingram, Post, and Swint will assess why West Virginia 4-H members do/not complete annual experiential projects. Limited current research has been conducted in the important area of youth development programming. (See Literature Review uploaded.) Therefore, this study which incorporates not only youth voice but volunteer and WVUES faculty/staff responses as well. This research has major implications to add to the body of knowledge including, but not limited to, the development of training curricula for volunteers and faculty, and project development.

Broward County, Florida host a not so typical Summer Service Camp for teens through an organization called HandsOn Broward. The Sun Sentinel ran an article about service and youth last month written by Randy Abraham. HandsOn Broward, offered its third annual summer camp program to 38 youth this year which enriches their base knowledge along with their eagerness to want to help others. This technique introduced into the behavior of the young have been recognized to become their second nature. When planning the annual camp projects the coordinators switch up the opportunities that they will be assisting with to ensure to not create a sense of boredom. This year the teens participated in projects like a day of service at Children’s Hospital which included CPR training. Electronics recycling, volunteering at

The evaluators found that the results of the PAAS surveys from each site concluded the summer Camp program successfully addresses the youth development outcomes. Participant satisfaction with found to be 60%, and 68% in recommending a friend from the One City Summer Initiative surveys. Additionally, 30-50% of participants reported that they enjoyed learning something new and making new friends and a similar number of participants reported that there were insufficient opportunities to talk with an adult about life, school, and personal issues.

20). Within a 4-H program, health needs are addressed and taught to students. Some of the habits and ideas that are addressed include: healthy eating, physical activity, injury prevention, social-emotional health, and the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use (Downey, et al., 2014, p. 14). By teaching these topics to the youth, they are better able to apply them to their lives and the decisions they will make concerning their health and well-being.

Classroom Ambassadors help with 4-H in the Classroom, a program where 4-H projects and activities can be brought to the school community through classroom and afterschool settings. We provide enriching 4-H experiences to those youth who are unable to participate in our club program. We are looking for volunteers interest in science and having fun with children aged 6-11. You will also work with teachers or afterschool directors

For my final exam project in teen leadership class, the idea that pop up first in my head was volunteer at my church for the free truck. I was a member of the Vietnamese Youth. As a member of this group, we do many volunteering and activities. The one that I did for my final project is the latest activity that I’ve attended. It was on a sunny Saturday, me and my dad drive us to the church early and there wasn’t many people at that time. As I patiently waited for other people come, I helped the elders preparing the tables and chairs. After that, the truck come with full of foods. As the guys bring the foods down from the truck, we bring it to the table and put it in the bags. Unfortunately, there aren’t so many people coming to take it. We giving away as much as we can and bring home some of it. Since, many people didn’t come we have to throw away all the left over to the trash.