 YouthBuild USA is pleased to announce our 2008 YouthBuild USA Conference of Young Leaders at the Holiday Inn National Airport Hotel at Crystal City, 2650 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia 22202, Phone: (703) 684-7200.
The event dates are:
Rural Caucus (March 28-30)
Conference of Young Leaders (March 30-April 1)
Evening Youth Forum (April 1)
Capitol Hill Day (April 2)
The Conference of Young Leaders is open to current YouthBuild students only who will reach 18 years old by March 17, 2008.
March 13: Registration for the Conference of Young Leaders is now CLOSED. We have reached our maximum capacity of delegates.
Organizing a large conference, such as this, is an expensive undertaking. We ask our operating sites to be responsible for the registration fee of $200 per delegate to help cover some costs. (The registration fee must accompany a signed Delegate Conduct Form to complete registration.) Changes, such as adding or having substitute candidates, are not permissible after registration is complete and travel arrangements are made.
The YouthBuild USA National Rural Youth Caucus is being held March 28-30, 2008 as a pre-event to the Conference of Young Leaders. This event brings together a select group of mature, thoughtful, prepared and passionate young people to explore the unique challenges facing rural youth. These leaders will identify what assets rural young people offer, come to understand the larger framework and role of national rural policy, and be able to link the two to enact change. Caucus participants will present what they have learned to the entire Youth Conference and be prepared to share this information with their local legislators on Capitol Hill Day. Woven throughout the two-days will be numerous team-building activities and Youth Conference orientation exercises so that the young people feel acclimated to the conference and their D.C. surroundings and can participate fully and grow from their entire CoYL experience. For more information about the Rural Youth Caucus please contact Kim Phinney, Rural Coordinator at kphinney@youthbuild.org or (802) 879-2974.
There will be Capitol Hill Day after the conference on Wednesday, April 2, where delegates visit their respective state legislators to learn about legislative processes as well as increase their knowledge of civic engagement and duties.
The Young Leaders Council (YLC) is an elected body of YouthBuild participants and graduate leaders from across the country. This body acts as a national voice for youth in the YouthBuild Movement, pledging it’s time both in council and in fieldwork to assist participants and YouthBuild programs across the country. The YLC mission is to build upon YouthBuild’s legacy of youth voice and leadership by engaging students and recent graduates in YouthBuild USA’s decision making and program design efforts. The YLV structure is designed to ensure meaningful representation of young people raised poor throughout YouthBuild and the broader youth development field. You must complete the Young Leaders Council Application Process, which includes a formal application, a letter of recommendation, and a 500 word written essay (preferably typed). All of which must be sent to YouthBuild USA prior to the Conference of Young Leaders. E-mailed or faxed applications must be received by March 17.
Please review this information carefully and thoroughly.
General Conference Information
Download this information, including the Delegate Conduct Form.
Download the Young Leader's Council application.
Rural Caucus (March 28-30)
Conference of Young Leaders (March 30-April 1)
Evening Youth Forum (April 1)
Capitol Hill Day (April 2)
Hotel
Holiday Inn National Airport Hotel at Crystal City
2650 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, Virginia 22202
Phone: (703) 684-7200
Smoke-free hotel
The Holiday Inn is a smoke-free hotel. All conference attendees will be placed in double non-smoking sleeping rooms. If a delegates smokes in their room, there is a $200 cleaning fee that will be billed back to the YouthBuild program.
Registration Fee
Organizing a large conference, such as this, is an expensive undertaking. We ask our operating sites to be responsible for the registration fee of $200 per delegate to help cover some of the costs. (The registration fee must accompany a signed Delegate Conduct Form in order to complete registration.) Changes, such as adding or having substitute candidates, are not permissible after registration is complete and travel arrangements are made. Payment of the registration fee can be made with credit card or check by mail. If paying with check make it payable to YouthBuild USA and please mail to:
Michelle Quinn-Davidson
YouthBuild USA
58 Day St
Somerville, MA 02144
Delegate’s Conduct Form
A signed Delegate’s Conduct Form (one per delegate) must be sent to Michelle Quinn-Davidson by fax at 617.623.4331 by the registration deadline of Monday, March 17, 2008.
Other Conference Participation Costs & Expenses
YouthBuild USA will cover the cost of the delegate’s lodging, transportation, as well as planned meals at the conference. All delegates will be sharing a non-smoking double room with another delegate. Last minute transportation changes will be the responsibility of the sponsoring organization; any charges incurred for air or train tickets will be the paid for by the delegate’s or delegates’ sponsoring organization.
Travel Arrangements
All transportation arrangements will be made by our designated YouthBuild USA travel agent. When your delegate’s travel itinerary is complete, the information will be forwarded directly to you (sponsoring organization) to share with your delegate. Because of heightened security, please be advised to have your delegate(s) present proper picture identification, such as driver’s license, when asked by transportation authorities at any given time. Delegates’ picture identifications must match their names on their travel itineraries. YouthBuild program staff are responsible for providing or making sure that their delegates have reliable transportation to the airport or train station on Friday, March 28 if attending the Rural Caucus or Sunday, March 30 if attending the Conference of Young Leaders to ensure that they do not miss their flight or train.
Conference Wear
We are asking the young people to look "neat and clean" and to be aware that they are representing their program at all times. Clothing should not be tight, torn, or provocative.
jeans (without rips, holes, etc. designs, are allowed)
collared shirts
khakis
slacks
skirts (no mini skirts). Should be approximately knee length at a minimum
dresses - not too revealing
blouses - not low cut, not bare mid drift
no tank tops
no tube tops
no hats or other head gear
no sweatpants
nothing that shows the belly
no see-through or sheer clothing items
You are required to bring appropriate business attire for two sessions*:
1. The evening forum on Tuesday, April 1, 2008
2. Our visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, April 2, 2008.
For example: a sports coat, shirt and tie for men; a pant suit or knee-length skirt suit for women. Clothing should not be revealing. The idea is to channel legislators’ attention to your voice and your message and not to distract them with appearance. Business-appropriate, yet comfortable, shoes should be worn. Remember. You will be walking to and from various buildings on Capitol Hill.
* Note to YouthBuild program staff: this is a change from previous conferences which have asked for only one pair of dress wear. Please check the clothing options with your delegates to see that they will have two complete business attire outfits for the Conference of Young Leaders. It is often advised that YouthBuild program staff see the clothes before they leave for the event. If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Quinn-Davidson at mquinn-davidson@youthbuild.org
Questions & Inquiries
Michelle Quinn-Davidson, Associate Director, Academy for Transformation, YouthBuild USA, 617.741.1256 or mquinn-davidson@youthbuild.org.
Delegate Preparation
Delegates are chosen to participate in YouthBuild USA’s Conference of Young Leaders because they have demonstrated leadership, good judgment, and reliability. Attendance at the conference is a demonstration of the local program’s confidence in the delegate, and attendance is a reward for the significant contributions each delegate has made to the local program. The conference will allow them to further demonstrate their accomplishments. We look forward to their full participation and request your help in ensuring that all delegates recognize the seriousness of their commitment to this effort.
Our experience with delegates over the years has informed us that this trip is often our students’ first trip away from home. We recommend that you and your delegates have an open discussion about the conference, including what it means for them personally and for the program, as well as issues of fear and homesickness. Ensuring delegates have a good experience while attending the conference, and the overall success of this event, will largely depend on your thorough preparation of your delegates before their arrival at the conference.
We hope the following suggestions are helpful to you in your discussion with your delegate(s):
- Discuss the conference’s goal and its activities.
- Explore your delegate’s or delegates’ personal reasons for attending the conference (What do you hope to learn, what personal goals do you have and how are they related to your participation at the conference, how will you further help your community by going to this conference, etc?)
- Communicate your expectations of their conduct at the conference (including punctuality to event activities); review Delegate’s Conduct Form and have delegate(s) sign the Delegate’s Pledge.
- Share information about dress: for Capitol Hill Day participation, delegate(s) need to bring one dark-colored sports coat, shirt and tie for men; a pant suit or knee-length skirt suit for women. Clothing should not be revealing. Delegates may not be permitted to participate without proper attire. Also delegates may want to bring a dressier outfit to wear to the closing banquet.
- Help your delegate(s) prepare for sharing information upon their return; give them a set of objectives and reporting goals for the conference.
- Talk to your delegate about the logistics of their travel, i.e. ideal arrival time at airport before departure, numbers to call in case of emergency or travel change, etc.
Your help in preparing your delegate(s) translates directly to the overall success of the conference.
In addition, YouthBuild USA will be conducting numerous pre-Conference calls which delegates must attend for more information to prepare for the event and to answer any final questions they have before attending.
Capitol Hill Day Preparation
All delegates should begin to prepare for Capitol Hill Day on April 2 by thinking about the following questions:
- Why did you join YouthBuild?
- How does YouthBuild strengthen you, your family, your community?
- What positive changes have you made in your life and in your community since joining YouthBuild?
- What do you plan to do when you graduate?
- What aspects of YouthBuild are most important to you or the other students in your program?
- How do you want to continue to support your local program after graduation?
You are required to bring appropriate business attire for our visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, April 2, 2008. For example: a sports coat, shirt and tie for men; a pant suit or knee-length skirt suit for women. Clothing should not be revealing. The idea is to channel legislators’ attention to your voice and your message and not to distract them with appearance. Business-appropriate, yet comfortable, shoes should be worn. Remember. You will be walking to and from various buildings on Capitol Hill. Capitol Hill Day is a vital part of YouthBuild. It is a wonderful opportunity to educate legislators about the importance of YouthBuild to so many people and so many communities. If you have any questions about Capitol Hill Day, please contact Sharistan Melkonian at 617-741-1271 or smelkonian@youthbuild.org. Thank you for your attention. We look forward to meeting you!
Download this information, including the Delegate Conduct Form.
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