YLI is a youth-led and highly interactive leadership development program designed to empower and engage youth, ages 11-13.
Omega Zeta Omega Chapter members will support youth in their development by providing opportunities for youth to lead, engage, and succeed by: Hosting meetings outside of a school or classroom setting for YLI participants to lead, plan, and execute one to three recommended activities under each of three modules
What to expect from our first meeting:
We will be hosting an informational session for YLI participants and their parents/guardians to meet and greet each other, chapter officers, committee members and other key participants. We will provide an overview of YLI, objectives, expectations, meeting times, location, etc. We will give further details of participant roles and responsibilities, decision-making, and the required community service, environmental project and final presentation.
Click on the modules below to learn more
Module 1: Foundations of Leadership and Success
Theme A: Believing in the Power of Yourself (Growth Mindset)
Youth will participate in monthly youth-led activities that focus on the leadership quality of self-awareness through the concept of a growth mindset. Through application and experience, youth learn to cultivate their innate qualities and skills and understand that challenges are growth opportunities. Associated activities should be designed to empower and encourage youth to believe in the power of themselves and their brain.
Desired Youth Outcomes for Theme A:
- Understand the steps to short-term and long-term goal setting (SMART)
- Identify steps to achieving a specific goal.
- Gain time management skills.
- Understand the importance of evaluation
Theme B: Imagining the Future and Its Possibilities (Goal setting)
Youth will participate in monthly youth-led activities that focus on goal setting as a critical social-emotional development skill that helps leadership development. Associated activities should be designed to provide the crucial foundation for future success, as successful leadership includes developing a vision with goals and implementation steps.
Activities under this focus are centered around SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) goals that the youth set for themselves or as a group.
Desired Youth Outcomes for Theme B:
1.Build a sense of identity and leadership
- Embrace positive behavior
- Increase comfortability with taking personal risks and resilience in the face of failure
- Encourage and Enhance motivation and better work relationships
- Achieve higher performance levels
Theme C: Taking Action in Politics and Societal Issues (Civic & Social Awareness)
Youth will participate in monthly youth-led activities focusing on political, economic,
and social conversations that help them become agents of positive change in their communities. Civic engagement and social awareness are critical components of leadership. Associated activities should empower and encourage youth to contribute to and improve their communities.
Desired Youth Outcomes for Theme C:
- Take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures
- Understand social and ethical norms for behavior
- Recognize family, educational, and community resources and support
Youth will participate in monthly youth-led activities that expose them to people, activities, and experiences that spark conversations about potential career aspirations. Youth should have the opportunity to get an up-close and personal perspective of underrepresented careers and better understand requirements and skillsets.
Theme B: Discovering Countries and Their Cultures (Cultural Exposure)
Youth will participate in monthly youth-led activities that identify and solicit unchartered experiences in life. These experiences should push the youth out of their comfort zones and immerse them in a foreign cultural experience.
Theme C: Expressing Your Best Self in Everyday Life (Life Skills Experience)
Youth will participate in monthly youth-led activities that focus on cultivating personal life skills such as self-reflection, critical thinking, problem-solving and interpersonal skills. While youth may be familiar with some activities, this is an opportunity to look at different things or explore new adventures. Youth should create a passion for being exposed to things that require them to think differently, use their skills to solve problems and develop a love for maximizing life.
Theme B: Planting for the Planet (Environmental Project)
Theme C: Sharing Our Experience with the World (Final Presentation)
Youth leaders must select at least one recommended activity below to accomplish:
- Community Service Project. Youth will participate in a required youth-led group community service project that focus on promoting social change through youth giving of their time and talent to improve their communities and the world.
- Environmental Project. Youth will participate in a youth-led group environment project that focuses on their collective ability to improve and protect the environment at scale by planting at least one tree. Additional environmental activities are encouraged (i.e., plant flowers at school or park, take care of them, or support a community garden).
Final Presentation. Youth will participate in documenting their YLI journey and lessons
learned through a presentation or video. This activity may include using PowerPoint, Google Slides, their cell phone camera, a video camera, or computer program to capture their leadership discovery
To enroll your student in the Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) Program:Click the link Parent/Guardian Permission Form
Download the forms and completeSave the completed document file as “YLI. Your Name.mmddyy”For the enrolled studentClick on the link
Download the form and completeSave the completed form as :”YLI.Student Name.mmddyy“Email all completed documents to YLI@akaozo.org