Metropolitan Learning Center, Bloomfield, Connecticut, USA
Trails Leadership Expedition: A Model Youth-Youth Leadership Experience
The US State Department-funded American Youth Leadership Program (AYLP) with Cambodia, organized by the East-West Center, was a driving force behind this project. While in Cambodia in July 2011, the Metropolitan Learning Center (MLC) students who created this project–the Trails Leadership Expedition–had the opportunity to work with many small children and even children our own age. Getting the chance to work with the younger Cambodian students really opened our eyes to the importance of having that sort of mentor/student relationship. It allows for exchanges of knowledge and understanding. When we visited the Children’s Development Village, an orphanage in Siem Reap, the children that were living there were so wonderful. They were kind and caring and even played a very nice music for us. It was amazing to get to interact with them on such a personal level which is why we wanted to bring that back with us and use what we learned to make this leadership experience a great way to not only get to know the younger students, but to also show them what it means to be a leader in the 21st century.
The Trails Leadership Expedition’s main focus was a model leadership and collaboration between high school mentors and middle school students while also exploring the issue of hunger around the world. The collaboration between high school (grades 11-12) students and middle school students (grades 6-8) was a weekend long event in which students were required to rely on each other while also relying on themselves to overcome obstacles and complete tasks. Students were able to understand the meaning of leadership and how leadership isn’t being the only one who makes decisions, but instead consulting others and working with peers to achieve a common goal.
Following their exploration of the world hunger problem, students took on the challenge of hosting the MLC’s Holiday Food Drive, including collecting food for the local Foodshare.
Although some of the students who were involved with the Trails Leadership Expedition and the following food drive come from challenging home environments, through hard work and collaboration, we were all able to see that in order to help ourselves, we must help our community. We must essentially “pay it forward” in order to make any movement into the direction where no one will have to worry about being hungry. Working to help the local community is the first step in making worldwide contributions and with further cooperation the Metropolitan Learning Center could absolutely and will absolutely make further contributions for years to come. If students worldwide would do this in their communities, we would be able to make leaps and bounds into a century where people will not have to worry about not having food for their families. If we all work together, we can make sure that no one goes without a meal on a regular basis.
The Metropolitan Learning Center is proud of its global and international studies curriculum as well as the wonderful foreign exchange opportunities it offers in which students are made aware of the problems facing not only the United States, but also the world. The issue of hunger is prevalent in many parts of the world and many of our students that live in the Greater Hartford region have firsthand experience with this problem. Having the ability to understand the hunger problem, students of the Metropolitan Learning Center can make various connections and think critically about solutions. This is also possible for students of economies that are members of APEC. These students can work on a similar project to mentor younger students, raise hunger awareness, facilitate a food drive, and work throughout the year on strengthening the leadership skills of the younger students.
General Itinerary for the Trails Leadership Expedition and Follow-up Activities:
October 21-23, 2011
Day One:
- Group arrives in the afternoon (3:30-4:30 p.m.)
- Gear is issued and all personal electronics i.e. Cell phones, iPods, etc. are taken and locked up in the lodge
- Outdoor living skills are discussed as well as leave no trace etiquette.
- Hike to the camp sites
- Introductions, Name games and other icebreakers
- Group split and half work on preparing dinner (kitchen crew) while the other sets up camp (camp crew)
- Dinner followed by clean up and campfire including beginning discussion on the global topic of hunger.
- De-brief of day and journal writing.
- Schedule for following day
- Bed time
Day Two:
- Wake up
- Kitchen crew gets breakfast started while camp crew takes down camp
- Breakfast followed by clean up
- Hike to the challenge course and do a low ropes program
- Two crews work together to make lunch
- Lunch and clean-up
- Hike to the challenge course and do a high ropes program
- Discuss roll out of global initiative.
- Prepare posters and advertisements for Food Drive.
- Crews switch and original dinner crew sets up camp and camp crew cooks dinner
- Dinner followed by clean up and campfire
- De-brief of day and journal writing.
- Schedule for following day
- Bed time
Day Three:
- Wake up
- Kitchen crew gets breakfast started while camp crew takes down camp
- Breakfast followed by clean up
- Debrief
- De-issue gear and group departs (Mid-Morning)
November:
- Leadership Academy participants prepare presentation for Town Meeting roll-out of Holiday Food Drive including incentives for classes with the most participation.
- Coordinate school-wide distribution of Food Drive Collection to Food Share. Including coordinating the possible walks and tours of Food Share facility.
December:
- Mentors and Middle School students meet to discuss goal progress.
January:
- Meet with Leadership Team to discuss timeline for Spring Initiative.
- Mentors meet with Middle School Students to discuss grades at end of marking period.
March:
- Mentors and Middle School students meet to discuss goal progress.
April:
- Mentors meet with Middle School Students to discuss grades at end of marking period.
- Meet with Leadership Team to discuss end of year goals.
May:
- Mentors and Middle School students meet to discuss goal progress. Discuss end of the year camping activity wrap up (June 1st).
June:
- End of Year Wrap-up Camp out at Winding Trails.
- Meet with outgoing Mentors to discuss program goals and possible improvements. Potential upcoming Mentors to join the 2012-2013 Leadership Team.
This sounds like a really meaningful project. Like you, I’ve been working with (or I guess you could say mentoring) younger kids for the past year. I volunteer at a program that works with a local homeless shelter to teach surfing and ocean safety skills to children at the shelter. It’s a great feeling to share what you love with others, especially when what you’re doing is helping younger kids.
Good luck with your project!
It’s great how your project not only involves mentoring, but also reaches out to the entire school and connects to the larger community through town meeting and holiday food drive. I wish your group continued success in your work.
Awesome job! One and all!!