Becoming a Leader at NYLT

The National Youth Leadership Training is important to me because it taught me how to be a better leader in my school, home, and throughout my community. Starting out at my new school, which means I was on new sports teams and in new classrooms with total strangers, I was nervous to speak when the coach or teacher would ask me questions in front of the team or class because I was afraid of what the other people would think of the things I would say.

I was like this as well starting out at NYLT — I tend to be very quiet and laidback until I build my confidence up enough to talk to people in my group. Instead of doing that I wanted to just be myself by showing my leadership skills to the group right off the bat, and for doing that I have received various compliments on how I have showed other people what I can do in different situations.

I’m glad I went to NYLT this summer. It has made me the outspoken man I am today, and I use what I learned at camp every day at school, with different sports teams, and with the multiple clubs I am in.

At NYLT, feeding off the people around you and learning from them can make you a better leader. NYLT gives you great ideas on how to do better in life and also close the achievement gap through service-learning in your county or district. Service-learning is a base that gets you involved in helping with different things to improve your community today. NYLT is a great way to make new friends that will last a lifetime, and for you to have the chance to come back next year to help with the camp, teach the next set of future leaders how to find their inner-self, and to do great things in the future.

As they say at NYLT, “Sometimes you have to follow in order to become a great leader.”

Joseph Mitchell attended the National Youth Leadership Training in 2012, and now serves as an NYLC Youth Advisory Council member. To donate to NYLC on Give to the Max Day, November 15, visit www.givemn.com/nylc.