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Youth Voices
“While presenting for YLI I have developed … my speaking skills - I got an A on my final exam for English, which was to give a speech. YLI has gotten me more involved with the community. All in all YLI has been a great and positive experience.”
-Iridian M.
“YLI has been a great experience. I've learned a lot about healthy choices as well as tobacco prevention. I would encourage other youth to join YLI, you meet new people and the staff is awesome!”
-Thania A.
YLI has made a big impact on me ….Participating in YLI programs has helped me develop myself to a more defined person inside. Having been part of YLI has helped me conquer my fears by taking small steps to doing something big.
-Fred L.
The message that I would share with youth is that you can learn a lot from people you admire and wish to be like. Given the opportunity, you can overcome fears and become a leader inspiring others. All it takes is a lot of persistence and dedication.
-Giselle M.
One of the things I learned and practiced in YLI is how to be a positive speaker by presenting to the Menlo Park City Council. I’ve also met other people who have great dedication to what they do, and I have been inspired by their dedication and learned from them about commitment.
-Karlo R.
I worked at YLI for six weeks this summer and it was the best experience that I have ever had. … getting involved with the Youth Leadership Institute was a great opportunity and expanded my horizons on issues going on in the city and also the world. I like how everybody at YLI works as a team and is friendly and helpful. YLI has always made me feel really comfortable and at home…. It’s a fun, safe place to meet new people and to get involved in helping out the community.
-Brianna H.
YLI has supported me in becoming a young leader by helping me to reach my goals and my participation has grown a lot during the past three years. I’ve been able to practice skills such as conducting research and public speaking. When we conducted public opinion surveys, I had the chance to talk to people about their neighborhood and ask if it is easy for teens to buy tobacco where they live. I’ve also had the opportunity to present our findings to law enforcement and elected officials, including city council members, county supervisors, and state assemblymembers.
I enjoy giving my time to help my community because if we want to change the world, we have to change it ourselves! I would say to other youth, never ever let anyone hold you back. If you want something, just reach out, grab it, and don’t let go. You may make some mistakes in life, but don’t let that hold you back because there are people out there who will believe in you and help you out.
-Jose C.
Being in YLI, I gained skills including public speaking and learning how to make change in my community. I finally started to believe in skills that I thought I did not have. For example, when I presented on behalf of YLI to the San Mateo County Tobacco Education Coalition, I was nervous and did not feel very confident so I was surprised after when several adults came up to me and told me that I did a really good job. Then I was an emcee at our press conference on retail access to tobacco, and I began to gain confidence in myself and started to believe that I can speak “to” people, and not “at” them, and get them to notice and believe in what I am saying.
The many experiences I had this year through YLI inspire me to think bigger and be better. Before I was part of YLI, I saw easy access to tobacco and alcohol in my community, but I just sat there and blamed the government for not doing anything to help. Now I realize that in order to make change, we have to get involved and take action, not just wait for someone else to do something about it.
-Marisha B.
In my senior year I joined Youth Leadership Institute. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made… Youth Leadership Institute gave me the skills I need to succeed as a leader as well as support from the wonderful staff. From the trainings and opportunities they have given me, I have grown in so many ways. I used to be so nervous and jittery when I had to speak in front of a large audience, I tried my best to never speak, but when YLI gave me the opportunity to speak at Congresswoman Jackie Speier’s Youth Town Hall, as well as emceeing the Youth Recognition Event, YLI staff taught me how to prepare and pace myself throughout the speech. Now that I have had those opportunities, public speaking is a piece of cake. I have also been involved with Youth Philanthropy where instead of me writing grants, I was reviewing them and seeing exactly what grant givers are looking for.
-Sarena S.
Working with Youth Leadership Institute… has changed my path in life, because before I never cared for my peers drinking. When I started YLI I didn't pay attention much because my mentality was that everyone drinks, although I didn't drink. I wouldn't take the surveys seriously until I learned what social norms was. I found it interesting that many students including myself thought that our peers drank and smoke a lot, however; 57% were avoiding drinking at parties. My interest began to grow more and more as I learned how much of a difference I could make in my school with my peers as well as with the youth in my community. I started to be more assertive and speak up with ideas that could possibly build our campaign on underage drinking and social norms. My vision started to change and all I wanted to do was help and improve my community and school campus.
-Christine S.
I've been a member of the Youth Leadership Institute's Edison Chapter for approximately two years now and I love it. We do so many wonderful things. I like the fact that mostly all of the members are very dedicated to making change and being advocates for that change. They are also very supportive of each other, which is a key factor of communication and cooperation. They never make fun of someone for making a mistake. Instead, they try to help that person learn from that mistake. This is also important because it shows the leadership abilities that each member has.
Currently at Edison we are working on creating a healthier school community by making healthy food easier to get. The campaign is called, "Edison Healthy Snackers." …I'm grateful to be part of this project. I know everything will turn out fantastic because we barely started working on this campaign and already I see a lot of people's dedication. I'm looking forward to seeing how this project will turn out and how many people will actually open their eyes to fact that eating healthy is good for everyone and that healthy food should be available to everyone.
-Jasmine C.
Being part of the Healthy Snack Shack Project has been an amazing experience. The Healthy Snack Shack was created to introduce healthy alternatives at school activities to promote a healthier lifestyle. Not only does this project help our community and students but also gives the participants of the project experience that might benefit them in the future. As a participant in the Healthy Snack Shack Project, my social skills and team working skills have improved tremendously. Having peers who fight along my side to make our community a better place motivates me even more to accomplish our goals.
-Christopher D.