United Way of Northern Arizona — The YES! Leadership Summit: 112 Students, 1 Powerful Day

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Recently, more than 100 ninth graders from Blue Ridge, Coconino, and Flagstaff High Schools walked into the du Bois Center at Northern Arizona University and emerged knowing something truly special: that leadership isn’t a title, a trophy, or a spot on the student council.

It’s a mindset – and it belongs to all of them.

That was the heart of our very first Youth Experiencing Success (YES!) Leadership Summit, and I couldn’t be more proud of what our team and partners created together.

From the desk of:

Liz Archuleta

President & CEO

Throughout the summit, students heard from leadership experts and voices that challenged and inspired them.

Jamar Root from TeenTruth spoke candidly about bullying and insecurity, then turned the room into a problem-solving session, inviting students to name the challenges they – or their school – face and build a plan to tackle them together.

Myles Gantt from UpToIt! guided students through his “Album of My Life,” an exercise in reflection and self-discovery.

He then asked the summit members to think about who they are and where they’ve been and outline their own album – including a album cover and a personal track list of songs that correspond to meaningful moments in their lives.

That kind of self-awareness and knowing your identify is key to mental health and resilience.

Joel Justin of OneAZ helped students build financial literacy skills, covering everything from checking accounts to car loans, because knowing how to navigate money is part of navigating life.

One of the highlights of the day-long summit was the Career Exploration Panel. Students heard from a diverse group of community and business leaders who shared one surprisingly consistent theme: their paths weren’t straight lines. There were stories of changing majors in college, or even starting on one career path only to find another one that they were more passionate about.

As our Manager of Youth Programs, Kristen Strauss, put it: “None of them got to where they are now because it was easy. It lets students know that it’s okay to not know what you want to do when you are 18.”

Janet Rex, a school counselor at Blue Ridge High School, shared that the summit is already changing lives.

“It was especially moving to watch some of our quieter students step out of their shells, collaborate with complete strangers, and speak with confidence,” she told us.

For a select group of summit attendees, the journey continues. YES! will be offering a seven-workshop series in the coming weeks, diving deeper into leadership, teamwork, civil discourse, and community action.

Thank you to our generous sponsors for making this day possible: APS, The Wharton Foundation, OneAZ, The NARBHA Institute, SRP, Northern Arizona University, Coconino County, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the Health First Foundation of Northern Arizona.

Please join United Way of Northern Arizona on Thursday, April 30th as we celebrate a year of impact and achievement and the many things we have done – together – to ensure that all can thrive in Coconino, Navajo, and Apache counties.

JOIN THE CELEBRATION

UNITED WAY OF NORTHERN ARIZONA

1515 E. Cedar Ave. Suite D-1 Flagstaff, AZ 86004

928-773-9813 nazunitedway.org

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