Youth Leadership Council Experience

Team Flash. (Top row, from left) Jiakai Pan, Istvan Wang, Caleb Wong, Alex Ngo, Chris Hung, and Kevin Lu. (Bottom row, from left) Alyssa Nguyen, Natalie Lee, Grace Do, Jennifer Ly, Joy Yeh, and Jenny Cai. 

This summer, I got the opportunity to attend Youth Leadership Council or YLC. Hosted at Rice University, YLC focuses on strengthening initiative and cooperative skills in, but not limited to, Asian American students. Guest speakers, workshops, and group activities build unity and bring out the inner strengths each kid brings to the table.

It’s terrifying to be alone in a room full of strangers. Yet, after only a few days, I walked out with a dozen new friends, and a feeling of newfound confidence. People from around the nation come to attend this camp, and it’s an enlightening experience to be able to connect with someone from California or Louisiana, and still be able to find community.

All 144 of us were split into groups, all named after superheroes. Our group, the Flash, evolved into a team after building a tower made out of butcher paper, a field day and constructing a popsicle stick catapult. Under the theme of “Break the Glass Wall,” together we shared our weaknesses and strengths, discussing each of our “Glass Walls” and sharing exactly what was holding us back from achieving our goals. One of my glass walls, for instance, was defeating myself in my mind before I had actually begun the task at hand.

Team Flash's catapult for YLC 2015.

Competitions and activities weren’t the only thing we did at YLC. The game “Telephone Charades” was a recurring favorite. To play, it has the same rules as telephone, but instead of speaking, you mime. Something as innocuous as feeding ducks can deteriorate into hilarious results. On the final night, a talent show is hosted for those who can sing, dance, or play an instrument. Afterwards, students dance the night away and celebrate with their friends. If you don’t feel like dancing, ping pong tables, cards, and board games are set up in the other room. My friends and I had a great time dancing and singing along to our favorite songs; we didn’t want the night to end.

I loved my YLC experience. It brought out inner strengths that I didn’t know I even had, and I made tons of great friends and wonderful memories. If you want to join, simply visit the YLC site and fill out an application.