Summer Youth Leadership Conference

(SYL)

SYL is a program designed to acknowledge the efforts of student leaders while giving them the opportunity to enhance their leadership abilities through enriching and recreational activities.

PURPOSE 

Young people between the ages of twelve to fifteen are generally in the most vulnerable and impressionable times of their lives.  They are attempting to grow from being a child in Elementary school to a young adult in High School.  They still feel the need, enjoyment, and appreciation of friends and associates.  However, they also begin to feel the need to be accepted as an adult.  At this age they are full of energy and ideas but no one takes them seriously unless they are “in trouble.” 

From this group of young people, come tomorrow’s leaders.  Therefore, the Pasadena Police Department’s Community Outreach Section has developed a five-day conference. The conference was constructed to help by listening, fostering and developing those students currently attending middle school, who already exhibit leadership capabilities above those of their peers.

OBJECTIVES

 The objective of the Pasadena Police Department Summer Youth Leadership Conference is to acknowledge the efforts of these student leaders while giving them the opportunity to enhance their leadership capabilities through enriching and recreational activities.

• The Pasadena Police Department Summer Youth Leadership Conference will offer:
   

• Positive reinforcement to students who have already expressed their desire to improve the quality of life at their schools.
   

• Support for future endeavors by making the participants aware of resources that are available in and around the City of Pasadena.
   

• An Understanding, appreciation and recognition of diverse cultures.
   

• Training in the areas of conflict resolution, handling of peer pressure and teen relationships.
   

• Opportunities to participate in the shaping of Pasadena through their input on decisions affecting youth.
   

• A structured, educational, fun and safe experience for our future leaders.

Participant pre-requisites

• Must be in the seventh or eighth grade and currently enrolled or attending a Pasadena Unified School.
   

• Maintaining of  “C” average in school.   
   

• Submission of a completed conference application, medical waiver and parental consent form by application deadline.  
   

• Parents must be able to attend a mandatory Parent Orientation meeting.

 About the conference

The Summer Youth Leadership Conference is generally held during the month of July and is hosted in Palm Springs, California.  The conference is coordinated and directed by personnel from the Pasadena Police Department Community Services Section.

 Professional facilitators, trained in the areas of team building, conflict management, drug abuse, peer leadership, teen relationships and other related topics are scheduled to lead discussion/interaction groups.