Continued from E-news . . .
Brian’s summary of Y Youth & Government and its impact really speaks for all students, both past and present, who have had the privilege of taking part in this extraordinary program.
Brian shared that “Y Youth & Government gives high school students the chance to develop skills that they’ll use in life”. He described how transforming it is to be surrounded by “like-minded people sharing a passion for government and public policy” and describing how students from diverse backgrounds worked together as peers challenging and improving upon ideas, all within a “culture of respect”.
Most of all, Brian feels that “servant leadership” is a “key force” at work in Y Youth & Government. By the end of the weekend, students learn many lifelong lessons including: leading by example, the importance of helping others; the importance of embodying values like “openness”, “honesty” and “caring”, because they have been “open, honest and caring” in all their interactions with each other regardless of race, religion, and background. In his words, “the participants don’t remember the bills or the debates, they remember the bonds they made which they’ll take away for life.”