"Unveiling the Essence of Leadership"
November 8 - 10, 2002 - Baltimore Convention Center - Baltimore, Maryland USA

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5th Annual Youth & College Leadership Summit

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YCLS 2002 Conference Resolution

Introduction

At the 4^th Annual Youth & College Leadership Summit, November 8 - 10, 2002 in Baltimore, Maryland, members and supporters of New Light Leadership Coalition, Inc. (NLLC) decided there must be a long-term, systematic, collective effort to address the needs and concerns of young people. In this regard, we have declared the need for a Youth Leaders Roundtable to address these concerns, and have formed the following Youth Leaders Roundtable Agenda.

The need for such an effort is propelled by the ineffectiveness of current activities to have a substantive effect on youth and young adults. This agenda is written by youth for the benefit of other young people.

Issues Identified

1. Self-Identity

Lack of self-awareness is a problem among youth. Knowing and respecting self is essential to our development.

2. Misunderstanding Between the Generations

There is poor communication between youth and adults. Adults and youth are estranged from each other because of the generation gap.

3. Absence of Leadership for Youth

Young people are left without direction because of a lack of leadership. Youth and young adults need to overcome fear and go through a training process in order to step up to leadership roles in the community.

Issue No. 1: Self-Identity

The family unit is no longer the source for self-identity for youth. The breakdown of the family and family values causes us to look to each other for self-definition. The Roundtable discussed the importance of feeling a need to give back to the communities from which we came. Exposure to positive individuals, environments, and general dissatisfaction were catalysts for members of the Roundtable to change.

Problems:

· Self-hatred and lack of self-respect

Our actions reveal things about our self-image. Lack of respect for self is shown through language, clothing styles, and attitude. The reasons for these negative behaviors are rooted in the absence of a through knowledge of self.

· Negative peer pressure

The cause for most negative activities is negative peer pressure. A wise man once said that what is popular isn't always right, and what's right isn't always popular. The desire to be popular, however, causes young people to go along with what is not right to fit in. The Roundtable agrees that the friends we make as young people should be reflective of where we want to be. In other words, hanging around negative people will produce nothing but negativity. We as young people must be selective about who we choose for friends. As young people, we must be able to impact our environment and not allow our environments to impact us. Exposure to activities outside of the neighborhood is the key to social development.

· Fear of being different

The fear of being different or not accepted by peers plays a vital role in a young person’s life. To be an individual is to be unique and stand out from the crowd. The fear of not being in sync with the status quo causes young people to suppress our unique traits, talents, and gifts.

Solutions:

· Self-Awareness Forums

Every organization should have self-awareness programs for youth in their communities, on college campuses, and at high schools. A panel of experts on self-identity issues from guidance departments at local schools, faith-based institutions, and other progressive organizations can be called upon to participate in a "Who Are You?" forum. This will allow people of all cultural backgrounds to inspect their own identities.

· Selectivity in Choosing Friends

The Roundtable agrees that the friends we make as young people should be reflective of where we want to be. Hanging around negative people will produce nothing but negativity. We as young people must surround ourselves with other positive, motivated individuals.

Issue No. 2: Misunderstanding Between the Generations

Problems:

· Adults not respecting youth

Roundtable participants felt that adults are disregarding youth based on age. There is also a mutual mistrust between adults and youth in some instances.

· Expectations of parents and other family members

Expectations of family members can alter a young person’s view of him or herself. A child who is told they will never amount to anything will do just that. Conversely, if a parent imposes their idea of what they think the child should be without acknowledging their interests, the young people may pursue a goal in life only to please their parents.

Solutions:

· Mentoring Programs

Young people need the support of friends and family members to make a sustained positive change in their lives. Adults should help youth realize their power and motivate youth to want to change. Adults can try to remember what it was like to be youth and see if there is any correlation between how they felt about adults and what youth feel about adults now.

· Communication

Youth and adults can help rebuild trusting relationships by opening up the lines of communication.

Issue No. 3: Absence of Youth Leadership

Problems:

· Lack of Motivation

Young people do not have a sense of urgency when it comes to activism within our communities. Most of us do not connect with important issues or are unaware of the problems in the community because of lack of communication about these issues from various leaders to youth.

· Lack of Structure and Resources

Youth need opportunities to be involved in positive programs. Many young people complain that there is nothing to do. Overall, we feel that there are not enough programs that serve our needs and speak to our concerns. Sometimes the problem is publicity--organizations do not effectively spread the word about their programs and young people are left in the dark.

Solutions:

· Open community forums convened by youth

Young people should convene open community forums and invite a panel of community, business, political, and youth leaders to inform youth about the issues in their communities. This forum will also be an opportunity for youth to freely voice our concerns without being judged and give community leaders input from our perspective.

· Leadership training for youth

Every organization that works with youth should have a program or training process to equip young members with the ability to lead the organization. There are many models for youth leadership development programs that should be looked into and implemented by all organizations. There should also be an effort to engage young people who are not already members of these groups in the leadership process.

· Youth represented in decision-making in organizations

Too often, youth programs are made without input from young people. Such programs often prove to be ineffective and leave organizations out of touch with the population they claim to serve. Youth should have a real voice and power within any organization that desires to truly serve the needs of young people.

· Every organization should have a youth development component

If existing organizations are to last through future generations, they must have youth programs available to the public. In order to reach young people effectively, the Roundtable believes that organizations in general must:

1. Lead by example

2. Allow youth to be involved in all levels of governance and decision making

3. Be persistent in trying to reach youth

4. Actively promote services to young people

Roundtable Delegates

Bereket Haile

Daniel Holm

Devonte Rogers

James Damiebfe (???)

Jodi Coplan

Joey Newcomb

Kai Mumpfield

Mary Barnhart

Nadine Duncan

Njeck Howard

Shantini Alleyne

Stephanie Grissom

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Feedback Form

*If your organization finds this agenda helpful in your activity planning, please print out and complete this feedback form.

Organization Name: _______________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________

Contact person: ________ phone:

Activity Name: _____________________ Date(s) performed: _

A. What did you do? Describe how your organization or group implemented this activity.

______________________________________________________________________________________

B. Did it work? Why or why not? Explain the challenges your group had while performing this activity.

______________________________________________________________________________________

C. What are your suggestions for improving this activity in the future?

______________________________________________________________________________________

D. What would you suggest to others interested in this activity?

______________________________________________________________________________________

Please mail this form to us at NLLC, PO Box 66305, Baltimore, MD 21239-6305 or fax to 1-800-847-4658.

Issue No. 1: Self-Identity

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Feedback Form

Organization Name: _______________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________

Contact person: ______________________________ phone: ______________________

Activity Name: _______________________________ Date(s) performed: ___________

A. What did you do? Describe how your organization or group implemented this activity.

B. Did it work? Why or why not? Explain the challenges your group had while performing this activity.

Contact person: ________ phone:

Activity Name: _____________________ Date(s) performed: _