Getting Even More From My Second National Service-Learning Conference
Throughout my adolescent years, volunteerism was always an important aspect of my family; several days a week we devoted our time to help give back to the community and serve those who needed it most. Volunteering and devoting my time to others seemed like a natural thing to do, but I never imagined it was the stepping stone that would lead me to a life of service learning and advocacy. Today, not a day goes by that I can’t help but wonder how I can leave my footprint on this world, how I can make a difference in someone’s life, and how I can give back to the community.
Attending the National Service Learning Conference for a second year in a row was such a privilege to me. Often times, youth leaders who feel so strongly about a cause, face the challenge of connecting with other peers who have similar standpoints. Fortunately, the National Service Learning Conference opens the door for these young people to connect with each other and other service learning professionals for three days of learning, reflection and growth. Each year I have left the conference with a newfound feeling of confidence and energy, but this year I also left with a feeling of accomplishment; a feeling that I was able to advocate for a cause that is so close to my heart.
My best friend and colleague, Danielle Liebl, and I, were asked to take on a more defined role at the conference this year. We had the honor of giving a keynote speech during the plenary session about our how our inclusive friendship and involvement in Special Olympics Project UNIFY has shaped us into the leaders we are today. We were able to demonstrate the power of being living examples of how to live a life of leading and advocating through our own actions. Danielle and I spoke about the struggles we have faced along the journey of becoming youth leaders, and how we used those struggles to reinforce our beliefs that we could accomplish anything we put our minds to.
We ended our keynote speech with a challenge; a challenge for each and every person to think about their own leadership. Danielle and I were willing to go down a path that was frowned upon by our peers to achieve social justice for all. We were willing to make our perfectly normal inclusive friendship visible to others and were willing to express how disabilities do not hold one back in terms of leadership. We left our audience thinking about their own leadership, but we didn’t want these thoughts to end in the plenary session- our hopes are that it will go a step further.
Whenever you think people with disabilities are incapable of accomplishing things, I want you to think about Danielle and all of the incredible accomplishments she has had. When you think about what the “ideal” leader looks like, I hope you will remember the Special Olympics athletes from the video in our presentation, and remember that leaders come in all shapes and sizes. When you think about how difficult it can be to lead and make the right choice when your peers are telling you differently, I hope you will think about Danielle and me. We made choices that were not accepted by all of our peers; we went down a path that was frowned upon by many, but that is what made us leaders, that is what made us strong, and that is what brought us to the National Service Learning Conference to share our story with others.
