Help Ethan Get to Washington DC

Ethan has been selected to attend the Junior National Young Leaders Conference. He needs your help to get there.

Below you'll find everything you might want to know about the event.

INVITATION LETTER TO THE PARENTS

"Dear Parents,

Based on their academic achievement and demonstrated leadership potential, your child, Ethan, has been nominated to attend the Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC), an Envision by WorldStrides program to be held this summer, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

Ethan was nominated by Educator Kristin Cobbs, who recognizes your child as a student with the scholastic merit, maturity, and strength of character needed to represent Piedmont Middle School at this unique leadership program. Congratulations on Ethan's achievements!

By attending JrNYLC, your child will prepare for the future and take the first step on a path to success in high school, college, and career. Ethan will learn to become a better leader by setting clear goals, improving communication skills, embracing models for solving complex problems, and building effective teams.

Ethan and other young leaders from throughout the country will gain confidence and practice their teamwork and public speaking skills when they create their own student led grassroots organizations in the Voices of Change project. Ethan will also set goals for continued personal leadership improvement and return home equipped with the tools to tackle current issues facing schools and communities today.

Washington, D.C. will serve as a living classroom for Ethan, providing amazing site experiences in and around our nation's capital. Ethan will also enjoy an exclusive Capitol Hill experience, during which previous attendees visited the House Floor and heard from a former member of Congress..."

ABOUT THE JUNIOR NATIONAL YOUNG LEADERS CONFERENCE

The Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC) is held to honor and inspire the most exceptional middle school students in the nation, distinguished by their academic excellence, leadership potential, and maturity. JrNYLC is designed to reinforce the virtues of leadership, citizenship, and democracy while using Washington, D.C. as their classroom.

CURRICULUM SUMMARY

The JrNYLC curriculum provides a unique approach to leadership training and is developed under the direction of Dr. Jan Sikorsky. Dr. Sikorsky is VP of Product Innovation as well as a former scientist, educator, and curriculum development specialist with over 10 years of experience creating and developing engaging curricula for high-achieving students.

Leadership Goal:

The key goal of JrNYLC is to introduce students to the important concepts of leadership that will prepare them for academic success: communication, goal setting, problem solving, and teamwork. Students examine leadership in a historical context, focus on applying critical leadership skills in their own lives, and explore ways to make a difference when they return home to their schools and communities.

Leadership Objective:

The objective of JrNYLC is to examine the specific leadership traits exhibited by prominent United States leaders. Students assess the key leadership concepts from above by working independently and collectively to achieve goals, identifying future leadership development opportunities, interacting in a cooperative manner with peers from different leadership groups, and researching and evaluating leadership through experiential learning.

Leadership Outcome:

Students will return from JrNYLC not only understanding the key concepts of leadership, but also applying them in their everyday lives. A transformation will take place, enabling students to use their communication skills in leadership; practice critical thinking when analyzing information; recognize that leaders have a responsibility to make choices that positively affect the community; serve as both leaders and followers in group situations; relate leadership characteristics to social, cultural, and historical contexts; and apply problem solving skills and techniques.

DAY ONE

Voices of Leadership

Registration and Check-In

Orientation

Leadership Focus Groups

The Impact of Leadership Traits

DAY TWO

Voices of Freedom

Leadership Focus Groups

Field Study Experience: Influence and the Power of Communication

Exclusive Visit to Planet Word Museum

MyActionPath: Career Assessment

Field Study Experience: Voices of Freedom Memorials

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

DAY THREE

Voices of Change

Leadership Focus Groups:

Introduction to the Voices of Change Project

Simulation: Facing the Music

DAY FOUR

Voices of Courage

Field Study Experience: Leadership and Government

Capitol Hill Experience**

Past visits have included:

Field Study Experience: Leadership and Change in U.S. History

Simulation: My Day in Office

DAY FIVE

Voices of Triumph

A Call to Action: Closing Keynote Speaker

Voices of Change: Project Showcase

An Evening of Learning and Adventure

DAY SIX

Voices of the Future

Leadership Focus Groups

We, the Future: Continuing the Voice of Leadership

Departure