TEENPOWER: A Unique Summer Leadership Experience For Tri-State Teens

By Jeremy Brown

Somewhere along the road of maturing into adulthood students encounter role models, mentors and guiding hands that show them the way. You learn what you’re good at and develop yourself around those skills. You learn how to make not just good decisions, but the right decisions. You learn to be comfortable in your own skin. You learn how to treat people. As a 26-year old young professional I believe I’ve developed a firm grasp on many of these things, and the grass roots began in one place as a 15-year old freshman in high school: Youth Resources’ TEENPOWER.

What I found in the summer of 2006 was a wonderful community of like-minded teens and adults that loved me for me and saw potential in me I had never realized.

Youth Resources empowered me to seek my full potential as a person, shed my insecurities and become a leader in various organizations, including YR, throughout high school, college and now professionally. My involvement with YR has thrust me into different leadership roles over the years and through those experiences I’ve connected with countless great individuals in this community, and enhanced my leadership, administration and communication skills tenfold.

Youth Resources has played such a pivotal role in my life that I’ve grown into the guy who has the privilege of coordinating TEENPOWER Summer Leadership Conferences. So it’s literally my job to tell you that registration for both Middle School and High School TEENPOWER is currently open, with plenty of spots left, at youth-resources.org. But this PSA is coming from a product of YR’s programming, not a Youth Resources employee.

TEENPOWER is a place to love and be loved. It’s a place where doing the right thing is the cool thing. It’s a judgment free zone where you can discover yourself, find peers who share joy in positive decision-making and build skills to become more of a leader in your school, in a club, in your church or in your work place. At the end of the day everyone wants to be accepted, to be a part of something that matters and to make a difference.

Youth Resources and TEENPOWER capture that trifecta every year. Join us!

Jeremy Brown is the TEENPOWER, Special Events and Communications Coordinator at Youth Resources.