Be the Change: Youths Gather for the 2004 National Youth Leadership Training

On July 18, the 2004 National Youth Leadership Training drew to a close. High school students from across the country — wearing baby blue NYLT
t-shirts, and carrying suitcases and sleeping bags — said tearful
goodbyes to their new friends. One would never have guessed that eight
days earlier most of these young people had never even met. As they
exchanged phone numbers and email addresses, they seemed more like
lifelong friends.

Founded nearly 25 years ago by NYLC President and CEO Jim
Kielsmeier, the leadership-training program continues to thrive. The
2004 program, held at the Audubon Center of the North Woods in
Sandstone, Minn., brought together students from such diverse places as
Bainbridge Island, Wash.; New York City; Oklahoma; Cloquet, Minn.; and
the Twin Cities.

In addition to geographic diversity, there was a broad ethnic and racial mix as well. Thanks to Pathways to Possibilities and Outreach to Empower — NYLC and the University of Minnesota’s educational programs for American Indian teens — NYLT
saw a marked increase in American Indian students, who accounted for 48
percent of this years participants. African-American youths accounted
for one-fifth of the participants, and European-American,
Asian-American, and Latino youths were also represented.

The eight days in northern Minnesota were filled with new and
stimulating experiences designed to build leadership skills, and
increase awareness of diversity and social issues. Students
participated in high-adventure activities and experiential seminars,
and even traveled to different sites around Minnesota and Wisconsin to
participate in service-learning projects. Each night, students had an
opportunity to taste foods from the cultures represented and were
fortunate to see a number of excellent performers, including
American-Indian folk artist Annie Humphrey, African-American
spoken-word performers Sha Cage and e.g. bailey, and the Latin American
musical group Rumba Eterna. The week culminated with inspirational
speeches by many of the youths and a keynote address by South Dakota
State Senator Michael LaPointe, a former NYLT participant.

The theme for this year’s training was “Be the Change.” These words
resonated throughout the week, as students were asked to reflect on
their experiences and how they could bring what they learned back to
their home communities.

The 2005 NYLT will be held at the Audubon Center of the North Woods, July 14-24, 2005.