Youth Leadership Institute 2019

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By Claudia Plesa, Community Engagement Manager

AASB’s Annual Conference and Youth Leadership Institute were held on November 7-10 in Anchorage. The Annual Conference and YLI are opportunities for school board members and student leaders to come together and discuss issues impacting schools in Alaska. 

This year, 26 school districts had student leaders participate in YLI.  A total of 76 students participated in workshops meant to help develop their leadership and advocacy skills, as well as gain a deeper understanding of issues impacting schools and students in Alaska.  It was an incredible group of students and AASB would like to thank the chaperones and school boards whose support made their participation possible. 

During their four days together, the YLI students created a video about what leadership means to them.  They created questions, interviewed each other and shared their experience at YLI.  Click below to hear what they had to say about YLI 2019:

Every year, we use student feedback to help make YLI better, and we are proud to present this year’s results to our membership.   Below is some of the feedback we received from YLI students on this year’s conference:

  • 100% of students said YLI improved their leadership skills
  • 98% of students said YLI gave them opportunities to interact with students from throughout Alaska
  • 98% of students said YLI helped them improve and practice their communication skills

Students also said this about YLI:

“One of my favorite parts of YLI is talking in groups from different places and discovering what our successes and issues are” – Youth participant

“YLI is amazing for youth leaders because it helps us become more connected to the people around us”- Youth participant

“One of my favorite things at YLI was the Empowerment Planning because the students got to brainstorm about so many things that are useful and ideas that could benefit everyone. The visions that they had for the communities were amazing!”- Adult chaperone.

It is a privilege to play a role in a student’s growth as a leader and to learn from the young leaders at YLI.  Please reach out with strategies or ideas you have or use for youth leadership development.  The YLI team is happy to talk to you more about developing youth leadership skills for the students you work with.

To find out more about YLI 2019, email Claudia Plesa or call 907-463-1660.

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