Youth Global Leadership (YGL) is a youth-designed and driven program of the Philanthropiece Foundation. YGL provides Boulder County high schoolers an opportunity to become change-makers in both local and global communities. We focus on local and international service-learning projects, social entrepreneurship, and leadership through action. We are really excited to spotlight some of our amazing Youth Global Leaders today.
Teal Witter, Fairview High School, Junior
YGL is an incredible experience. I’ve had so many amazing opportunities: everything from leadership workshops to snowshoeing outings. What I particularly love about YGL is the support that I receive from the adult sponsors, the students and my mentor. I feel comfortable talking to everyone involved with YGL about just about everything (Latin conjunctions, debate arguments, vampire-ism as a societal expression, etc.).
Sydney Kirlan-Stout, Fairview High School, Junior
In the past 9 months, YGL has provided me with more opportunities than I could’ve ever imagined. When I applied I could not have anticipated how invaluable YGL would be in my life. I did not expect to learn so much about myself or the world around me. I did not expect to make 15 friendships that will last a lifetime. I did not expect to be welcomed with open arms into a group of incredibly imaginative, exciting people who would inspire me to be my best self. But YGL gave and currently gives me all of that. Whether it be discussing illegal immigration, Women’s Rights in Egypt, or the steps to facilitate the next Compañer@s del Arte project in Chajul, Guatemala, YGL never fails to inspire me to learn: the best gift it could possibly give me. But even more than that, YGL provides me the opportunity to do this surrounded by people who I have grown so close to in such a short amount of time that it feels like I’ve known them my whole life. As a result, every time I think about YGL, I silently thank everyone that made this opportunity possible for me and who work every day to make it possible for others. I’m so incredibly fortunate to have found YGL. I’ve grown so accustomed to how incredible both the program and the people are that I can’t imagine my life without it, and frankly, I don’t want to.
Sierra Asmussen, Fairview High School, Senior
YGL is busy with planning our Insight Trip 2.0 and fundraising! Currently, I am excited for our leadership camp fundraiser that we are hosting in April. It’s been so exciting to put together activities for the kids and I’m really eager to see how it turns out! Another incredible opportunity that I’ve had this year in YGL is to work one on one with my mentor. My mentor was paired with me (thank you, Marissa!) and we get along so well! I am paired with Mary Wagner who is an entrepreneur, a volunteer at a goat farm and all around an amazing and inspirational human. I’m excited to see where the next few months in YGL take me and to embark on our service trip this June.
Julia Stewart, Fairview High School, Sophomore
I’ve only been a part of YGL since last summer, and since then YGL has become such an important part of my life and who I am. My experience in YGL has been very positive and I’ve gotten a lot out of the program including confidence, service experiences, and strong relationships with other members. Sometimes I get slightly overwhelmed with the amount of emails I receive through YGL, but it’s good practice for the future and also helps build responsibility. Right now I am working to figure out what social issues I am most passionate about so that I can start to develop a Cor Project. I’m currently leaning toward a project focusing on teaching younger kids different ways to channel expression and emotion positively, but I’m still not sure. My mentor Kelley has given me some books on issues in the public education system which I am really passionate about. Over all my experience with YGL is going really well and I’m really excited to see where things go over the next few months.
Want to learn more and support the Youth Global Leaders as they embark on a journey through the Southwest and to the US-Mexico border in El Paso? Click here.