Understanding Youth Leadership

1. Understanding Youth Leadership American Red Cross Youth

2. Big 5 • Count off in sevens • Seven groups • Find five things you all have in common (not Red Cross or Red Crescent!) • You have 10 minutes

3. Seven fundamental principles • Humanity • Impartiality • Neutrality • Independence • Unity • Universality • Voluntary service

4. Your friendly presenters • Mahati Acharya • Chris Chen • Aubin Dupree • Justin Lam • Kelly Quann • Sandy Tesch • Pat West • Stewart Zellars

5. Introduction • I. Youth Leadership Essentials • II. (a) Youth Leadership in Practice • Lunchtime • II. (b) Youth Leadership in Practice • III. Bringing it Home

6. I: Youth Leadership Essentials Aubin Dupree Kelly Quann

7. At the newsstand 1. Magazine cover – short leadership exercise 2. Write the Story – extended personal and group strategy exercise

8. Youth leadership case: the Measles Initiative The Measles Initiative has helped reduce measles deaths by 74% worldwide and 89% in Africa since 2000 Youth Red Cross clubs and volunteers help the Initiative by raising awareness in their communities through creative activities and fundraisers Since the beginning of the Measles Initiative in 2001, American Red Cross chapters have raised over 1,228,000 USD, mostly by youth volunteers

9. Key takeaways on youth leadership We need leadership skills as much to be a good group member as to direct the activity of the group. Leadership can be learned through experience and practice, just like other skills. Success as a leader depends on not only what we know and learn, but also on what we do with what we know. We can learn leadership skills best by thinking about what we are doing and practicing leadership behaviors with other people.

10. Youth Power Continuum

12. Youth leadership ingredients • Youth leadership skills • Working with staff and mentors • Youth-inspired examples

13. Youth leadership competencies • Five areas of competency in youth leadership: • Communication • Teamwork • Personal identity • Professionalism • Project management

14. Group activity • Generally, which kinds of youth activities and programs can help build your skills? • How can you identify which skills need improvement? • Back home at your National Society, what kinds of projects might help to improve skills?

15. The staff/mentor perspective • What can staff and mentors do to help young people develop leadership skills? • Young people often face obstacles from adults because of certain beliefs or practices: • Youth are not capable of leadership • Adults are unwilling to share power, responsibility, or decision-making • Adults assign young people to tasks, rather than allow them to determine what happens in planning, design, implementation, and evaluation

16. Positive steps for staff and mentors • Promote youth/adult partnerships • Empower youth to share in the decision-making process • Support youth leadership development • Provide youth with diversity of experience • Reward accomplishments and challenge youth to aim even higher

17. RC/RC youth leadership • Brainstorm examples of activities and programs which could be developed and implemented by RC/RC youth volunteers

18. At the newsstand 1. Magazine cover – short leadership exercise 2. Write the Story – extended personal and group strategy exercise

19. II: Youth Leadership in Practice Mahati Acharya Sandy Tesch Stewart Zellars

20. Overview • Reflect on the ways youth serve as leaders in your National Society • Find out about activities of other National Societies • Identify and address challenges

21. Youth leadership check-in • Take a step forward if…

22. Youth leadership check-in • Take a step forward if your National Society has… • Youth representative on the local board • Red Cross Clubs at schools • Local training opportunities for youth • Youth involved in all aspects of RC/RC service delivery

23. Youth leadership check-in • Take a step forward if your National Society has… • National Youth Council • National policy on youth involvement • Youth representative on the national board • National training opportunities for youth • Volunteer opportunities for youth of all ages

24. Youth leadership check-in • Take a step forward if your National Society has… • Partnerships with other organizations • Regional networks of multiple RC/RC Societies

25. Youth leadership check-in • What else? What did we forget?

26. Activity summary • We all have room to grow • We have similar goals • We face similar challenges • We can learn from each other

27. Activity summary • There are many opportunities for youth • Youth are leaders at the local, regional, and national levels

28. Recap • Youth are important to the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement because… • Youth leadership is important because…

29. Lunch assignment • Start thinking about successes and challenges at your National Society • After lunch, be ready to share a best practice from your National Society • A great program • Your youth leadership structure • A collaboration or partnership

30. II: Youth Leadership in Practice Mahati Acharya Sandy Tesch Stewart Zellars

31. Beach ball sharing • Favorite service activity • Greatest success • Biggest challenge, and how the challenge was met by youth • Time you served in a leadership role

32. American Red Cross • Facts • Youth is age 18 and younger • Youth adult is age 19-24 • 27% or 130,000 of American Red Cross volunteers are youth and young adults

33. Leadership structure • National Youth Council

34. Leadership structure • National Youth Council Alumni Board

35. Leadership training • National Youth Institute

36. Leadership training • Leadership Development Centers

37. Local youth involvement • Red Cross school clubs

38. Social media • redcrossyouth.org • YouthWire email list • Facebook

39. Best practices • Share some great ideas from your National Society!

40. Thinking big • What is your youth program’s biggest challenge?

41. Addressing challenges • Make sure your goals are SMART! • Specific • Measurable • Agreed upon • Realistic • Timely

42. Key points • We’re all doing amazing things! • Youth leadership has many forms • Take this time to learn from each other

43. III: Bringing it home Reviewing what we have learned to create tangible takeaways

44. Time to meditate • Ideally, what should youth leadership look like in your National Society? • What does a youth who fully encompasses youth leadership look like?

45. Time to share Back in your groups of seven! • If you had three wishes, what would youth leadership look like in your National Society? • What are three qualities that every strong youth leader should have?

46. Reflection pool • Your personal leadership abilities • Your National Societies’ current stance/competencies towards youth leadership

47. Building a bridge from reality to ideal

48. Report back What was your ideal situation and what is your strategy for getting there? What are the challenges you see? How do you plan to overcome them?

49. Growing as leaders while in Solferino!

50. Growing as leaders while in Solferino! 1) What is your personal commitment to making the most of the WYM? 2) How will you use the knowledge you have acquired today and will acquire during the WYM?Be impact-driven.