Youth Leadership Program
Vera Court Neighborhood Center's Youth Leadership Program is designed to engage middle school youth in positive alternatives to high-risk behaviors. Topics covered through discussion include conflict resolution, life skills, AODA prevention, health and fitness and many others. Interactive learning is an important part of the program and is maintained through speakers, videos and role-playing. Weekly wellness activities include swimming, kayaking, indoor rock climbing, theatrical plays, open gyms, local sporting events and college visits. The Leadership program has a strong service-learning component, the youth participate annually in the Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Service Day, Trick-or-Treat-So-Others-Can-Eat and National Youth Service Day. A college preparatory curriculum is also integrated into the program that introduces participants to expectations and opportunities of achieving a college degree.
The program maintains a cooperative atmosphere in which staff and participants work together in making program decisions. Encouraging youth to act as decision makers for the program provides participants team building skills and the ability to form healthy relationships with adults. The program encourages youth to be positive assets and resources to the community and aims to incorporate Leadership skills in all aspects of programming.
The Youth Leadership Program provides programming on Tuesdays from 5:30-8:00 pm and Fridays from 5:00-9:00pm. Participants must attend the Tuesday discussion group in order to attend the Wellness field trip on Fridays.
During the summer months the Youth Leadership program in incorporated into our Middle School Summer Camp programming. Please see the Middle School Summer Camp description for more information.
