Caledonia Argus

Students prepare for Leadership Challenge

Posted: 2/5/02

Stephanie Jandt and Tiffany Schulte of Caledonia have been selected to attend the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) from March 5 to March 10 in Washington, D.C. The NYLC is a unique leadership development program for high school students who have demonstrated leadership potential and scholastic merit. Stephanie and Tiffany will be among 350 outstanding National Scholars from around the country to attend the conference.

The theme of the NYLC is The Leaders of Tomorrow Meeting the Leaders of Today. Throughout the six-day conference, Stephanie and Tiffany will interact with key leaders and newsmakers from the three branches of government, the media, and diplomatic corps.

Highlights of the program include welcoming remarks from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and a panel discussion with prominent journalists at the National Press Club. The girls will also meet with a senator, representative and appointed member of their staff to discuss important issues facing the nation.

ìItís wonderful that high school students like Tiffany and Stephanie seek out the National Young Leaders Conference in an effort to learn and take on leadership roles in communities throughout our country,î said Michael Lasday, executive director of the Congressional Youth Leadership Council (CYLC), the organization that sponsors the NYLC. ìMore than ever, the events of September 11 have prompted the urgent need to understand and exercise effective leadership. Those who participate in this program not only gain know-ledge and experience in the nationís capital, they leave with a sense of accomplishment and an increased ability to face the challenges of the future.

To complement the schedule of special meetings and briefings, Stephanie and Tiffany will also participate in a number of leadership skill-building activities. In one role-play activity known as If I Were President, students act as the president and Cabinet members responding to an international crisis. Students also participate in a judicial simulation, called Testing the Constitution, in which they examine actual Supreme Court cases. The NYLC culminates with the Model Congress, in which scholars assume the roles of U.S. Representatives, and debate, amend and vote on proposed mock legislation.

The CYLC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization. Founded in 1985, it is committed to fostering and inspiring young people to achieve their full leadership potential. More than 425 members of the U.S. Congress join this commitment by serving on the CYLC honorary Congressional Board of Advisors.

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