Leadership Program Strengthens Spirit of Teenagers
After weeks of preparation and a canceled event due to severe weather conditions, Boys & Girls Clubs finally was able to celebrate the achievements of their four Youth of the Year representatives.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Youth of the Year program is the national organization’s signature effort to foster a new generation of leaders, fully prepared to live and lead in a diverse, global and integrated world economy. The program recognizes Club teens across the nation who exemplify the organization’s mission and are proof to the impact Clubs make in transforming and saving kids’ lives. Each year, thousands of Club teens participate in local, state and regional Youth of the Year events. This year, four of our outstanding teens — Josette, Kenneth, Bright and Nadia — participated in the 11-week program.
To compete, teens were required to fill out applications, write essays about their Club experiences, provide report cards as well as teacher references, and interview with community volunteers. On a local level, the teens were interviewed by Mary Crawford, Community Volunteer, Turner Broughton, Partner, Williams Mullen, Jenee Pearson, City of Richmond Office of Community Wealth Building, and Jer’Mychael McCoy, President of Urban League Greater Richmond Young Professionals.
All four Club members gave memorable speeches in front of a full house of Club staff, friends and family members, and community volunteers and supporters. Kenneth, Fairfield Club, spoke about a computer he rebuilt and how he discovered his passion for technology. Josette, Petersburg Club, told an inspirational story about her goal to change the negative narrative that “nothing good comes from the city of Petersburg.” Nadia, MLK Club, gave a heartfelt speech about her personal growth caused by different family hardships. Bright, Southside Club, talked about her aspirations of opening a bakery and her dedication to living a healthy lifestyle.
Chief Operating Officer Sean Miller said that all of the teens brought their unique experiences and passions to the program and that it was inspiring to see how much they had grown in their leadership and confidence. " Our Youth of the Year started this process at unique points; they experienced a range of emotions, peaks and valleys, doubt, and pride both collectively and individually," Miller said.
Nadia and Josette said their experiences in the Youth of the Year Program taught them a lot about commitment and time management. "Working under pressure really helped me manage my time and take responsibility for how I manage my time," said Josette. Nadia noted that mock interviews with program staff and community leaders taught her how to prepare and maneuver through the challenges of an actual interview — a life-skill that Teen Coordinator Jade Tabb says is crucial to cultivate and learn in order to have a better and more productive life.
“Through this program, we are able to teach them those lifelong skills needed to succeed in life such as being interviewed and giving presentations,” said Tabb. Our teens worked hard and did a magnificent job. We are so proud of them.”
All four of the Youth of the Year selectees were honored with a laptop computer, and a certificate of achievement.
Bright, a Junior at Commonwealth Christian Academy, was selected as Metro Richmond’s Youth of the Year, which qualified her for the state competition. She participated in two rounds of panel interviews and speeches against 13 other Youth of the Year candidates from various Clubs throughout Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Bright and her regional peers’ journey took a turn – normally they would meet in Newport News and compete in a live event. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition was hosted online. Bright worked with Amanda Aghdami, CEO and Founder of Edgehill Consulting Group, to aid her in the interview portions of the competition. By Zoom meetings, Amanda and Bright practiced verbal communication strategies that would help Bright be better prepared to answer random questions, make clear and concise points, and showcase her personality through a digital platform.
According to Amanda, Bright did an excellent job during their sessions and showed characteristics that many companies are looking for in a potential employee. “I thought she was exceptional,” said Amanda. She put in the work, was eager to learn, asked great questions, and even shared ideas that I am going to add into my process to help other kids.
Bright applied what she learned and was a finalist in the competition. “While it is amazing to be honored and recognized, my hope is that they each focus on the journey instead of the result,” said Miller. “The organization was incredibly proud of Bright, but we were also pleased with the development of Josette, Kenneth, and Nadia. They own their individual experiences, and one day they will be able to point to this as a building block because you can't substitute for these experiences.
