In September 2020 The Clubhouse Network provided Youth Leadership Council (YLC) Mini-grants to six Clubhouses around the world to either launch or amplify youth leadership at their site. Clubhouse staff and mentors worked alongside Council members to develop leadership skills, to foster team-building, for community impact, and to advocate for changes to the Clubhouse through presenting to their Board of Directors, local governments, or community oversight body.
Youth Leadership Council Mini-grant recipients, IMPACTS 2.0 subawardees, and other youth leadership community of practice members contributed to The Youth Leadership Council Toolkit: Inclusive Leadership Through Creativity and Technology which centers best practices and experiences launching a Youth Leadership Council at various different Clubhouses.
Learn more about The Clubhouse Network’s Youth Leadership Council Mini-grant recipients and watch the recording of their Annual Conference Session: Building the Future: How to Launch a Youth Leadership Council at Your Clubhouse.
The Youth Leadership Council at The Best Buy Teen Tech Center @ MLK Center in Indianapolis, IN, USA Partners with The Desmond Tutu Peace Lab at Butler University to Train Future Peacebuilders
The Youth Leadership Council focuses on activism and advocacy through their partnership with Butler University. Julio Trujillo, C2C Pathways Facilitator, describes the Council’s goals, “The council met with professors, a director of Black Affairs and Community Engagement, and the Butler college dean of education to discuss youth activism via Zoom. Secondly, the YLC met with our current MLK Center Youth Peace Builders/ Trainers. Their discussions (including MLK Center staff and the Desmond Tutu Peace Lab) ranged from nonviolence training logistics and the structure of youth leaders inside the Center.” Their goal is to have two YLC members join the Board of Directors as Junior Board members in the near future.
The Al-Bireh Youth Council in Palestine Supports Their Community Through the Pandemic
The Al-Bireh Youth Development Resource Center Clubhouse’s Council led many activities to support their community. They stepped up to become supervisors and leaders at a winter camp, told folk and historical stories to school children, drew murals on walls in the cities, prepared a Heritage Day for the elderly, and presented at community shows. In addition, Director Ziyad Sarsour describes a current campaign to spread positive energy to the community through the pandemic, “The youth started to think of ways on how to invest their capabilities through using social media, they published a campaign called Positive Lines “سلسة سطور” aimed to spread positive energy through publishing positive quotes to encourage other youth in their community and surrounding areas. This idea came about due to the hard and complicated times during the Pandemic.”
Community Impact Projects at The Best Buy Teen Tech Center @ PHASE 4 Learning Center in Pittsburg, PN, USA
Aaron McKinnon, Clubhouse Coordinator, shares projects the Council has been working on, “The first project was to create a media campaign around a topic of their selection that encompassed what they felt needed changing in their communities. This consisted of short videos, podcasts, and art. Some of these were used for the REACH Festival.
We Stand With You Video created by the YLC and submitted to the RE@CH Media Festival
The Council focused on inclusion in the Best Buy Teen Tech Center through conversations about issues affecting the African American and LGBTQIA+ community. One member designed a PopSocket for Pride Month which was sold at national Best Buy stores.
The biggest accomplishment so far would be creating an environment where youth can feel comfortable being the change and giving them tools to do so.” The Council continues to explore partnerships with their local government, Carnegie Mellon University, and other organizations.
The Best Buy Teen Tech Center @ Juanita J. Craft Recreation Center in Dallas, TX, USA Leads Community Cleanup Efforts and Supports Homeless Shelters
Lorenzo Reid-Deloatche, Project Coordinator, explains what the Youth Leadership Council achieved in the last few months, “Some of the activities we completed during this time were cleaning up the community park with the teens as well as creating care packages for a local homeless shelter. The grant was used to purchase the items necessary to complete these projects such as canned foods, crates, trash bags & gloves.” They plan to sustain the YLC by continuing to create projects that focus on community involvement & improvement.
The Youth Leadership Council at The First Tee of Monterey County Clubhouse in Salinas, CA, USA Collaborates with Members, Alumni and Families
At the First Tee of Monterey Clubhouse, their Youth Leadership Council is called a Youth Advisory Committee (YAC). They meet monthly to discuss local and national opportunities to help their peers stay motivated and increase Clubhouse participation. Jacob Ayon, C2C Facilitator, says “Our YAC has also hosted and Teens & Alumni Panel Event that allowed our past Alumni to speak to our current participants and share their experiences of going through our program and how it has benefited their personal lives positively.” The YAC will continue to hold weekly Teens Classes and workshops for teens and parents.
The Youth Leadership Council Members at The Clubhouse @ Movement City Youth Network Host, “Real Talks,” Intentional Clubhouse Conversations Where Youth Lead
The Council is currently discussing goals and future ideas they want to pursue. They are setting the foundation for events they want to bring to the Clubhouse community including fundraisers, music events, videos, and “Real Talks.” Elvis Cabral, Program Director, says “The initial two conversations were about the building of the group, expectations, and what they hoped to accomplish as part of the Movement Squad.” Three Youth Leadership Council members were also Teacher Assistants during summer programming. Elvis said, “They showed dedication to lead, and assist with our younger members, as well as the opportunity to grow with Movement City. They supported workshop instruction, program coordination, field trips, and events.”
