Future in good hands
By LEE PROCIDA
Cherry Hill Sun
11/15/2007

Five local youths participate in conference to sharpen leadership skills and learn to work together

New Jersey’s leaders were busy the weekend before Election Day. In most of the state, our leaders spent the time arguing, bashing each other, bragging about their own accomplishments and airing attack advertisements.

Meanwhile, at the Westin Hotel in Princeton, another group of leaders met to listen to each other, help each other, commend one another and work together.

This refuge was the National Young Leaders State Conference, where nearly 170 eighth- and ninth-grade students from around the state met to hone their leadership skills and learn about themselves. Five students from Beck Middle School attended: Lily Campbell, Leah Terez, Rachel Beningo, Christine Goins and James Midkiff.

The conference is part of several run by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, an organization that brings together young people who have proven their academic and leadership skills to assess and build on their abilities. The NYLSC is specifically designed for eighth and ninth graders in order to increase their understanding of their own capabilities.

“Personally, I think anyone can benefit from this curriculum,” said Laura Stevenson, director of media relations for the CYLC, “but this is the best age to have this curriculum because students are bridging the gap between elementary school and high school.”

From Nov. 1-5, Campbell, Terez, Beningo, Goins and Midkiff attended seminars, workshops and events that focused on specific leadership elements: communication, conflict resolution, decision making, goal setting, group dynamics, project management and self awareness.

The attendees not only took part in groups organized by faculty aimed at teaching the students a lesson, but they also had to organize their own events utilizing the skills they were learning: either a seminar for the other students, a variety show or the commencement ceremony at the end of the conference.

After it was all over, the five wrote letters to themselves as reminders of the lessons they learned throughout the event, which the NYLSC administrators will mail back to them in a few weeks or months.

“I said I wanted to work on being more of a team player and a better listener,” said Campbell, a field hockey and softball player with aspirations of being a sports broadcaster. “I thought being a good listener would help balance out my leadership skills.”

“I told myself to improve on my presentation skills,” said Terez, who played a waltz by Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich for the variety show and wants to go to the global CYLC in a few years. “I want to become an expert so I can be a leader in high school as well.”

Goins said, when she is not playing soccer or basketball, running track and cross-country and singing in the chorus, that she needed “to stay in contact with the people I want to keep in contact with.”

Beningo, who organizes dances with the Student Government Association and aspires to be a doctor, reminded herself “to be yourself no matter who you’re around.”

And Midkiff, a math whiz, Boy Scout, baseball player and National Geographic reader, said, half-jokingly, that he wanted to prepare his Christmas list better.

“I learned I need to plan ahead and look more into things,” he said.

The five leaders returned to school the day before Election Day, but the biggest issue for them then was not property taxes, stem cells or ethics reform. It was all the tests they had to make up.

“I have so many it’s ridiculous,” Goins said.

The leaders said they all enjoyed the conference and would definitely go to more in the future, which they can attend without being nominated now that they are alumni.

“I thought it was nice that we can nominate other people now, too,” Terez said, “because I have some of my friends I want to nominate.”

They did make sure, though, when they told their friends about it, that they did not brag.

“Leadership isn’t about bragging,” Midkiff said.