Youth Council #4

The final Youth Council session of the academic year has come. During this Youth Council we Geo-cashed to the different destinations that the students had to go to. We first geo-cached to the library where the students had their leadership lesson/recap of how they are working in their individual school groups in developing their ‘Come Together Clarion’ projects and  community service. We also asked who the leader in the geo-caching groups was and who the followers were. The word ‘follower’ sometimes has a negative connotation but we also stressed to the students that everyone cannot be a leader; too many leaders in a group can create an inevitable conflict.

We also had a speaker by the name of Shelly Wilson from the University to talk to the students about finances. Finances are extremely important, having good credit, “rainy day funds”, having job consistency, paying your bills on time etc. She was extremely informative and the students appreciated her coming.

Lastly, we wrapped up by discussing what the students were doing in their communities and what they planned on doing for ‘Come Together Clarion.’ We also discussed any issues or problems they were having and how to solve those problems. Some of the schools felt as if their group was too small and they wanted to collaborate with all the schools. 

Youth Council # 3

This was a very detailed Youth Council, there were alot of worksheets and alot for us to follow up with. The worksheets that we had the students complete are as follows:

How I Rank Myself in Qualities Of Being A Leader

This is a self assessment survey. The students are instructed to take the survey and then reflect on their findings. For example, if s student makes a check mark under “I need help in how to do this” for the second slot which assesses how prepared a student is or is not, they can reflect on how to be better prepared from suggestions from students, teachers etc. and self reflection. This particular survey could later tie into their “SMART Goals Worksheet” which be discussed next.

S.M.A.R.T Goals

S.M.A.R.T stands for Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic and Relevant and Timely. This particular worksheet is set up to help the students set practical goals that will lead them to success. The students must identify their goal and the goal could bridge off of the Leadership Survey they just took prior to you hanging them the S.M.A.R.T worksheet. Go through each letter and explain what each part of the acronym means and give example on how their goal can fit these criteria.

Clarion County Youth Council Volunteer Information Form

This form is to be filled out by the students, it is all the necessary information they will need to acquire in regards to where they are volunteering. It also will help the students organize who does what, the major responsibilities, the needs of where ever they are volunteering and any training, clearances or preparation for the volunteer opportunity. Furthermore, we also would like them to document the time they put into the volunteer agency.

Planning an Activity: The 8 W’s

This will be a detailed worksheet explaining what they plan to do for “Come Together Clarion.” “The 8 W’s” is a worksheet designed to make planning the activity a lot easier; it is a detailed breakdown of what needs to be done and what potentially could need to be done. For example, line five is in regards to any possible funds that maybe required for whatever the students plan to do. It is important to analyze all the potential successes and shortcomings as well for the event to be a success. They can also break down the responsibilities as well. 

Accountabili-Buddy Interview and Goal Setting Exercise

Each student will have to pick an accountabili-buddy, originally they were supposed to pick their buddies at the youth council but due to the fact that you guys weren’t present they can pick one from their school (of course it has to be someone who attends the Youth Council sessions). Once they pick their partners they are going to interview their partners. This is a worksheet about the Youth Council program their likes and dislikes, improvement ideas and this worksheet bounces off of the S.M.A.R.T Goals work sheet. Have the students fill out this worksheet thoroughly and honestly. We also would like to know how they are going to implement their S.M.A.R.T Goals and they will discuss how they did so at the next Youth Council.

Who’s At Your Table

“Who’s At Your Table” is a worksheet to help the students decide who are the influential people that sit at their “table”. For example, some influential people that sit at my table: my mother, grandmother, best friends, Jay-Z because his work ethic influences mine, etc. It helps all of us assess who is important to this and why.

Some of the worksheets require follow up information that I will recieve from the teachers and in the next Youth Council Session.

Youth Council #2

                                                         

The second youth was another success that focused on leadership, diversity, social media, physical wellness and community service. By the second session some of the returning students know one another better and are more comfortable with the staff. This was an extremely interactive session with different activities. We had the students make a pizza, not literally but figuratively speaking, and we separated the students into random groups. We asked the students questions for example, “What’s your favorite holiday song?” “What are your favorite foods?” “What are your career interest?” Each part of the pizza rather you where “cheese” or “sauce” had to share their answers. We sang our favorite holiday songs aloud; it was a good icebreaker to let everyone know a little bit more about each other.

The second youth council session focused heavily on physical wellness so a fellow student here at Clarion University taught the students an interactive work out dance and also told them about different work outs they could do while watching their favorite TV shows. For example, while watching the TV show “Teen Wolf” you could do twenty sit-ups every time Scott turns into a werewolf.

We also had a speaker come in and discuss the pros and cons of social media.  She told students to be cautious of what they put on the internet because it will forever remain there.  Social media is a new phenomenon but it was important to tell students that some potential employers can and will check your Facebook or Twitter accounts. We also assigned the students the challenge of finding community service and coming up with ways to get involved in their communities.

I was in charge of the diversity aspect of this particular youth council. Diversity is my first love. I had the students fill out a thirteen question survey and go around getting signatures from the people who have done anything in the survey, for example, if someone was bilingual they could sign their name next to that slot. I like to stress that diversity is not only racial but it is also cultural, social, sexual orientation based etc. Race is one aspect of diversity but it is not the only aspect. I had the students come up in groups with their own definitions of diversity, race and gender. We had an open discussion about what they think diversity is, increasing diversity awareness in their neighborhoods and being accepting of diversity in all forms.

Youth Council #1

The first Youth Council was, without a doubt, the one that brought the most nerves and uncertainty but it was truly a learning experience for everyone. The focuses of this council were leadership for social change, time/stress management and what it means to be successful. By the end of this session my goal was to make sure every student knew that they were a leader in some way shape or form; being a leader is the personal attribute that can help anyone achieve enormous things.  We asked the students what they think it means to be a leader, not to my surprise; they all knew what it meant to be a leader. However, some were discouraged and didn't know if they had what it takes to be a leader in their lives and community but it was important for me to pull that out of them. I asked them questions like, “What do you do for fun,” “What activities are you involved in, in school?” “Who do you know that’s a leader?” Asking these various questions can help them realize their leadership abilities and characteristics.

We also taught them how to manage their time and stress, how important it is to have a planner and to prioritize. We ended the session by asking them what people they viewed as successful. In this day and age you will be surprised the names you will get. Some students said Miley Cyrus which could seems ludicrous to some but she is successful in her own right while other students listed great political ground breakers like President Obama.  By the end of the session the students opened up, gained some knowledge and left with their leadership hats on.

Who Am I?

My name is Jia McMillan-Shipley and I am a first semester senior Strategic Communications major at Clarion University with an expected graduation date of May 2015 but I will be graduating a semester early in December of this year. I am one of the few lucky and grateful recipients of the Civic Engagement Scholarship. I am heavily involved on campus from being a proud member of the illustrious Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated to being the Promotions Chair and Underwriting Chair the University Radio Station. I like to keep my extracurricular activities as diverse as I am.  I love music and the arts. I also thoroughly enjoy working with youth and giving back to my community.