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Youth Leaders stepping up to the challenge |
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Saturday, 30 January 2010 |
 Jordan Green, of Culver, and Kara Koz of Argos, learn a little about Marshall County history from Marshall County Museum Director Linda Rippy, at a Youth Leadership of Marshall County function held this week. Pilot photo/Rusty NIxon By Rusty Nixon Correspondent PLYMOUTH — For some, there is always the question of where the future’s leaders are coming from. One organization is do-ing what it can to answer that question for Marshall County.
Eighth graders from around the county who have been shown to have exceptional leadership po-tential that has been undeveloped were singled out by counselors at their schools and recommended for the program.
The program aims at teaching the youngsters skills that will serve them well as leaders in the next generation.
“There were programs that existed with people working with high school-aged kids,” said Randy Dickson, Purdue Extension educator, who, along with Kelly Powell, of Marshall County 4-H, oversees the program. “We chose eighth graders in particular to try to get to kids a little early and make them better prepared to assume those leadership positions as they get older.”
“I can buy a house now,” said Richie Sutch, of Ply-mouth. “We went through the whole process, buying the land to financing and building.”
Along with those kind of concrete skills, the program teaches some genteel skills as well.
“I know a lot more about etiquette now,” said Trevor Kinney, also of Plymouth. “Shaking hands, how to converse with each other and behave at a table. If your boss would invite you to dinner you need to know how to behave at the table and have proper etiquette.”
The program exposes the young leaders to information and skills that will help them to realize their skills. It has taken some time but Dickson feels that the program has begun to take hold with the group that includes members from every school in Marshall County except Bremen – who will join with the program next year.
“We really didn’t know exactly how this was going to work and how to get them involved and interested in what’s going on,” said Dickson. “Sometimes you wonder how much they’re getting but then we were told by a counselor that a couple of our kids had the best grades that they had had in their school careers since they got involved so we were obviously pleased with that.”
“I really feel like I’ve bettered by leadership skills,” said Kaylyn Fannon, of John Glenn. “I’ve learned how to do things like compromise for the good of everybody.”
A fellow Glenn student, Brooklyn Kelley, added, “We want to help make the county just a little bit better.”
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Last Updated ( Monday, 01 February 2010 )
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