National Youth Leadership Training Creates Ripples
Every summer, NYLC gathers young people from across the country for a powerful week of adventure, self-discovery, friendship, cultural exchange, leadership-building, and service. Participants explore issues of community involvement, race relations, oppression, ethics, and strategies for closing the achievement gap. Young people come in teams, with adults — often teachers — who arrive later in the week and participate in a parallel training.
The following reflections come from such a team, a student and teacher from Kelvyn Park High School in Chicago. Student Jorge Zamora, currently a Youth Advisory Council member for NYLC, received the Evan Dalgaard award, given to a participant who exemplifies qualities of service and leadership.
Teacher Reflection by Niki Moylan
NYLT was a meaningful experience for my students, as well as for me as an educator.
I sent off two of my students not knowing what to expect or how they would feel about the training.
When I came to the site with all of the other mentors on the fifth day the campers had been there, I was amazed to see their glowing faces as they ran up to me to tell me all about their week. They had spent five days camping in the wilderness, completing various simulations, participating in team-building and service-learning projects — all of which tested their will power, their influence on others, and their beliefs.
The students took part in activities and discussions that challenged their ideas of justice within the education system and what rights they are entitled to as students and, more importantly, as human beings.
Over the next two days, I worked with my two students on a service-learning project that we could take back to our school using the leadership skills and knowledge about the achievement gap that they gained while at NYLT.
I felt so proud to see my students excited and engaged in creating a project that would benefit other students, our school, and our community.
Student Reflection by Joge Zamora
The National Youth Leadership Training this summer was amazing. I had so much fun getting to know new people from all around. I loved the whole point of the camp. They taught us so much and changed us in so many ways.
The first 24 hours were my favorite because we got to know each other and do all types of challenging activities. Most of us got to do things that we have never done before — like camping, building a fire, and canoeing. That was exciting. We arrived to the camp area where all the cabins were and had time to learn more about one another.
Morning exercise was my second favorite part of the program. We got to run and we discovered that many of us were into cross country and track. We ran every morning. I got to relate to other participants and found out that we had so many things in common. It brought us closer.
We had no trust for each other at the beginning, but towards the end we all got along and trusted each other like a big family. This camp has taught me so much that will follow me throughout the rest of my life.
Note: Following their NYLT experience, students at Kelvyn Park are working to improve student and teacher relationships by facilitating roundtable discussions with teachers on the achievement gap and student achievement, reading articles about school reform research, and sharing their learning through various forms of technology.
From left to right: Joan Dalgaard, mother of the late Evan Dalgaard, student Jorge Zamora and teacher Niki Moylan.
