Six Valley students learn community leadership skills

July 4, 2006

BY Amy Schenck/Frontiersman

When Lexie Krell first saw David Green Park in Anchorage, she thought, &#8220This park isn't so bad, why are they having us clean up this one?” Two hours later, she realized just how much work could be done.

&#8220We accomplished so much in such a little time,” said Krell, a Colony High School student.

Krell spent a week in June at the Alaska Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute with 36 other high school students from Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak and the Mat-Su

Valley.

From the Valley, John Cummings, Sofia Fouquet, Michelle Kanosh, Sarah Gannon and Taura Mills attended, in addition to Krell.

A national organization with a highly structured curriculum, PYLI teaches everything from community needs analysis to project planning and leadership dynamics.

This is the ninth summer that PYLI has operated in Alaska. In that time the institute has trained more than 500 Alaska high school students.

The curriculum, designed by the Center for Creative Leadership, &#8220provides the caliber of leadership training typically available only to corporate executives and government leaders,” according to information at the PYLI Web site.

A course for adults similar to the PYLI course costs about $5,000, said Beau Bassett, who led the week's training for the Alaska youth.

Including food and lodging, the cost to attend Alaska PYLI is $125, and scholarships are available.

Unlike years past, PYLI participants spent their last day in Anchorage working on two service projects. In addition to the park cleanup, the students spent the afternoon with 120 children at Camp Providence, sharing the skills the students had just learned.

Bassett called the day in Anchorage &#8220wonderful and innovative” because of the immediate application to the student's learning.

Before arriving in Anchorage, the students spent four days at the Carlquist Conference Center near Mirror Lake in a camp-like setting. Bassett said it wasn't quite as fun-oriented as normal camp.

Institute attendees did play games throughout the day and have a bonfire one evening, but it was predominately academics-based, Fouquet said.

Fouquet admits there were times she was bored, but the end results were well worthwhile, she said.

&#8220Things like cleaning up a park, you don't really care about it until you look into it and realize how much it's actually helping,” Fouquet said.

The PYLI participants have 10 hours of community service to complete before they convene for a graduation ceremony on Oct. 28, National Make a Difference Day.

&#8220We want young people to realize that that's where the action is - in the community,” Bassett said.

Contact Amy Schenck at

352-2269 or amy.schenck@

frontiersman.com.