Christopher's Journey to the National Young Leaders Conference
Day 1 at NYLC: Exploring Leadership in the Nation's Capital (10/20/09) In his first Leadership Group Meeting (LGM), Christopher engaged in icebreakers with his peers. Once the scholars began to feel comfortable with their new friends, they brainstormed expectations that will govern their LGM throughout the week. Christopher also received an introduction to the first of three educational simulations in which he will participate during the course of NYLC, entitled "If I Were President." This simulation will give Christopher a better understanding of the executive decision-making process and reveal how decisions made at the presidential level have world-wide significance. Day 2 at NYLC: Exploring Leadership in the Nation's Capital (10/21/09) Today Christopher and his fellow scholars tackled the busy NYLC schedule with enthusiasm! Christopher spent the morning engaged in the "If I Were President" simulation introduced yesterday. Christopher took on the role of an advisor or the president in a fictional administration. In his role, Christopher tackled a foreign policy crisis over a conflict between Russia and the United States. When you speak with Christopher, be sure to ask him what role he played and how the scholars decided to resolve the crisis.
In the afternoon, Christopher and his peers participated in site discoveries at some of Washington, D.C.'s most honored and moving memorials: the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Back at the conference center, Christopher chose from a wide menu of hour-long workshops headed by community leaders on varied themes, including social entrepreneurship, public speaking strategies, human rights and international volunteerism. Day 3 at NYLC: Exploring Leadership in the Nation's Capital (10/22/09) Today's NYLC schedule afforded Christopher a special opportunity to interact with the lawmakers and staffers who determine our nation's legislative agenda on Capitol Hill! The day began with a welcome address delivered from the floor of the House of Representatives. Christopher and his fellow scholars sat in the actual chairs used by House members! After the House floor, Christopher proceeded to his congressional appointments. These meetings with representatives, senators or staffers gave Christopher a chance to challenge our nation's elected leaders with tough questions and get a firsthand view of life and work on Capitol Hill.
In the evening, Christopher switched his focus from legislative matters to judicial topics, engaging in the "Testing the Constitution" simulation. After reviewing yesterday's discussion of the role of the Supreme Court, a history of some of its most famous decisions and an introduction to legal reasoning and debate, Christopher jumped right into the simulation. With his fellow scholars members playing the roles of justices and attorneys for the petitioner and respondent, Christopher debated whether the constitution and case law favored a car passenger's Fourth Amendment right to privacy or a police officer's need for safety during a traffic stop. The details of this simulation were taken from the real-life case of Arizona v. Johnson Day 4 at NYLC: Exploring Leadership in the Nation's Capital (10/23/09) This morning, Christopher participated in a panel discussion with members of the press. Over breakfast, he heard from a panel of speakers representing different news media sources and engaged in a question and answer session. Christopher spoke with journalists who, on a daily basis, are at the source of news as it happens.
Christopher returned to the conference center in the afternoon and attended one of two town hall discussions focusing on the future of energy or immigration laws. The active discussion format with a moderator facilitated intense conversation and allowed Christopher to get to the heart of the topic.
Christopher spent the remainder of the day preparing for the culminating event of NYLC: the "Model Congress" simulation. This activity, set to occur tomorrow, mimics the structure and content of a debate over a new immigration bill in the House of Representatives. Day 5 at NYLC: Exploring Leadership in the Nation's Capital (10/24/09) It is hard to believe that Christopher's leadership journey at NYLC is coming to an end. We saved the best for last, though! Right after breakfast, Christopher and his peers took part in the "Model Congress" simulation. After a morning of intense debate, negotiation and lobbying, Christopher voted on each of several amendments. Be sure to ask him which amendments passed!
After all the hard work of the Model Congress, Christopher enjoyed an afternoon of culture and history at the Smithsonian museums as well as a night of fun at the farewell dinner dance.
To see a photo slideshow of the day's activities, go to: www.cylc.org/nylc/pictures. While this is the last daily update you will receive, a new photo slideshow will be available at this link tomorrow night.
We have enjoyed working with Christopher at NYLC and it will be hard to see the Conference end. When you see Christopher next, please ask him about his time at NYLC. I am certain that you will see in him a young leader who has gained maturity, depth of character and confidence in his newfound leadership skills.
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