This year, the Youth Leadership Team (YLT) is made up of four previous and current interns of YouthWorks. Every week they meet with coordinators Julia and Susannah to develop and implement workshops and other activities for the YouthWorks program. Right now the YLT is working on a training for mentors that will be held on January 29th. Here to introduce themselves are the four wonderful member of our YLT (in order from left to right in the above photo): Jennifer Nguyen (Junior at Balboa), Thurston Zhu (Senior at Lowell), Che’Graftanay Mims (Junior at Lowell), and Kiarra Clark (Senior at Galileo).
Jennifer Nguyen: I am interested in photography, photojournalism, writing, the music scene, being involved in activism, and introducing myself to strangers. After high school, I want to go to the San Francisco Art Institute for Photography. My favorite thing about YLT is definitely planning workshops and seeing them come to life. The team has successfully come together and we have made amazing progress for the current workshop we’re planning. So far, it’s been amazing to work with YLT and I’m looking forward to the next projects ahead.
Thurston Zhu: My interests include swimming, reading manga, and hanging out with friends. My favorite thing about YLT is that it lets me be creative. I can suggest almost anything to put in a workshop and I have fun while doing so. By the end of this year, I hope YLT will be able to create closer relationships between mentors and their interns so that they will get to know each other on more than just a professional level.
Che’Graftanay Mims: I love to read and listen to music. My favorite thing about YLT is that I’ve met so many new friends. One thing YLT has accomplished so far is planing out the mentor training. One thing I hope that YLT will accomplish this year is starting to plan out our own intern training.
Kiarra Clark: I enjoy being in YLT because it is out of my comfort zone. Working with others teaches you a lot about yourself and the power of working together. In my spare time I enjoy hanging with my best friends and family. I also enjoy working and making money to better my life and the life of my parents. My favorite thing about YLT is that I get the privilege of working with a team and accomplishing things together. I also enjoy the company of my team and the support we give one another.