Monday, March 22 - Thursday, March 25, 2010
Hilton Crystal City
Arlington, VA
YouthBuild USA is pleased to be holding the 2010 Conference of Young Leaders at the Hilton Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.
3/3/10 Registration is now closed.
Event Dates
Conference of Young Leaders March 22-March 24, 2010
Capital Hill Day March 25, 2010
Hotel
Hilton Crystal City at Washington Reagan National Airport
2399 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia, United States 22202
Tel: 1-703-418-6800 Fax: 1-703-418-3763
A non-smoking hotel; a $300 cleaning fee is charged to anyone who smokes in their room.
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Delegate Fee
Organizing a large conference for young people is an expensive undertaking. We ask our YouthBuild AmeriCorps programs pay a fee of $300 per delegate to help cover costs (max. # of AMC delegates: 80 regular funds; 16 recovery funds; total: 96 AMC). Non-YB AMC programs must pay $1500 to cover all costs (max. # of non/AMC delegates: 20). Total number of possible delegates = 116.
The registration fee must accompany a signed Delegate Conduct Form in order to complete registration and before any travel is made for your student. Changes, such as adding or having substitute candidates, are not permissible after registration is submitted. If any changes are made, your YouthBuild program will be invoiced the cost for all changes. YouthBuild USA will cover the cost of all activities, hotel rooms, travel, and food for delegates at the event. If you have not paid your delegate fee by credit card on-line, send payment by March 2, 2010 to: ATTN: Sarah Tormey, re COYL 2010, YouthBuild USA, 58 Day Street, Somerville, MA 02144.
Do not make any arrangements for your delegates. All travel, hotel, and meal arrangements will be booked by YB USA, please do NOT book your own travel. All delegates will travel in and out of Ronald Regan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, VA, no exceptions.
For more pre-event information, please contact:
Jamie Ramola, Associate Director, Academy for Transformation, jramola@youthbuild.org.
Code of Conduct
A signed Conduct Form must be received before travel is booked for
your delegate(s). Your delegate(s) is NOT confirmed to attend until a
Code of Conduct and Fee Payment is received. Download the Code of Conduct.
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MANDATORY Pre-Event Conference Calls
In order to help acquaint delegates to the event and answer any
questions they or YouthBuild program staff may have, there are a series
of conference calls set up the week prior to the event.
EACH PROGRAM MUST CALL INTO ONE OF THE CALLS WITH THE DELEGATE(S).
THE YB STAFF PERSON WHO WILL TAKE DELEGATES TO THE AIRPORT ON MARCH 22
and GET THEM ON MARCH 25 SHOULD BE ON THE CALL WITH THE DELEGATE(S).
Toll-Free Dial-in: 1-888-387-8686; Conference Room Number: 5323669 (do not use the travel hotline)
Thursday. March 4 12:00 – 1:00 PM EST and 2:00 – 3:00 PM EST
Monday. March 8 10:00 –11:00 AM EST and 2:00 – 3:00 PM EST
Wednesday. March 10 2:00 – 3:00 PM EST and 3:00 – 4:00 PM EST
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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 delegates’ 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 to the conference.
We hope the following suggestions are helpful to you in your discussion with your delegate(s):
• Discuss the conference’s goals and objectives as well as the activities that will be taking place.
• Explore your delegate’s personal reasons for attending the conference
(What do they hope to learn, what personal goals do they have and how
are they related to their participation at the conference, how will
they further help their community by going to this conference, etc?)
• Communicate your expectations of their conduct at the conference
(including punctuality to event activities); review the Delegate
Conduct Form and have the delegate(s) sign.
• Share information about dress code: (Hill Day meetings on March 25,
2010) delegates will need to be in professional dress: dress shirt,
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.
• 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(s) 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.
• Make sure your delegate(s) knows they are sharing a hotel room,
either with someone from their program (if same gender) or a same
gender student from another YouthBuild program. There are no single
rooms available. For security reasons, no room swaps are allowed. All
delegates must sleep in their own assigned rooms. Delegates are
prohibited from entering rooms of other delegates.
• 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.
Please note that most airlines charge a fee of at least $15 dollars per checked bag. Programs are responsible for checking the policy of the airline their delegate(s) are flying on and provide them with the cash to pay these fees, both for their flight to the Conference of Young Leaders and for their return flight. Please make sure to coordinate with your delegates to know how many bags they will each be taking and plan accordingly.
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Capitol Hill Day
Capitol Hill Day will be held after the conference on Thursday,
March 25, where delegates visit their respective state legislators to
learn
about legislative processes as well as increase their knowledge of
civic engagement and duties.
CoYL delegates will be trained and prepared for Hill visits during
the event. All delegates should begin to prepare for Capitol Hill Day
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 your visit to Capitol Hill.
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. 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 and how it has changed many lives and many
communities.
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Conference Wear
We are asking delegates to dress comfortably and professionally and
to be aware that they are representing their program at all times.
Clothing should not be tight, torn, or show excessive amounts of skin.
Below is a list of clothing items of acceptable and/or appropriate
attire.
• jeans (without rips, holes, etc. designs, are allowed)
• collared shirts
• khakis
• slacks
• skirts (must be at knee length or longer)
• blouses
• no tank tops
• no tube tops
• no hats or other head gear
• no sweatpants
• no clothing that shows bare skin of the stomach or hips
• no see-through or sheer clothing items
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Young Leaders Council Elections
The National 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 its time both in council meetings and in their local YouthBuild program 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 YLC structure is designed to ensure meaningful representation of young people throughout YouthBuild and the broader youth development field.
What are the requirements to be a candidate for the Young Leaders Council?
1. Your YouthBuild program must be a member of YouthBuild USA’s Affiliated Network.
2. 1 letter of recommendation from your YouthBuild Executive Director or Program Manager.
3. A 1-2 page essay answering the following: Tell us a little about yourself. What have you done at your local program to show leadership? What can you bring to this council? What can the council do for you? The essay should be typed double-spaced using Times New Roman, 12-point font.
4. Please note: You will not be able to use your essay as your speech. Speeches will be held on Wednesday, March 24, 2010, from 5:00pm – 6:30pm and should be no longer than two minutes.
Download the application here.
Applications should be e-mailed or faxed to Annette Goodrich, Graduate Coordinator, by March 2, 2010, at fax: (617) 623-4331 or email: agoodrich@youthbuild.org. We will not accept applications on-site.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I accompany my delegate to the CoYL as a chaperone or volunteer?
The CoYL Conference is first and foremost a leadership development opportunity for our young people and is in its 22nd year. It is the ONLY youth-specific training YouthBuild USA offers annually. We have more than 35 staff attending this important event including several graduate leaders and YouthBuild USA staff who have supported many previous CoYLs and have all extensive training. From the moment the delegates arrive at the airport they will be greeted by staff and accompanied by staff throughout the week. Although we greatly appreciate the offers of assistance, we will not need any additional chaperones or volunteers.
2. Can I attend the CoYL with my delegate?
The CoYL is a youth-only event. Program staff and Directors should feel free to go to our website: www.youthbuild.org/events to view the many training offerings we have specifically geared for them. We encourage YouthBuild program staff to save their limited professional development funds for events geared towards their roles.
3. Can my delegates attend the CoYL for free?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. We have worked hard to create an affordable price for AMC and Non-YB AMC programs alike to be able to attend the conference. Some programs know that it can be difficult to send more than one delegate to the conference and do some fundraising for their young people throughout the year so they can attend.
As a reminder, the cost of attending the CoYL is:
YB AmeriCorps programs fee = $300 per delegate
(max. # of AMC delegates: 80 regular funds; 16 recovery funds; total: 96 AMC).
Non-YB AMC programs fee = $1500 per delegate
(max. # of non/AMC delegates: 20).
Total number of possible delegates = 116.
4. Are there any scholarships available for students to attend the CoYL?
Unfortunately we do not offer scholarships for delegates to attend the CoYL conference.
5. How many students can I send to the CoYL Conference?
Each site can send a maximum of two (2) delegates using the following fee charges:
YB AmeriCorps programs fee = $300 per delegate
(max. # of AMC delegates: 80 regular funds; 16 recovery funds; total: 96 AMC).
Non-YB AMC programs fee = $1500 per delegate
(max. # of non/AMC delegates: 20).
Total number of possible delegates = 116.
6. My student attended two years ago, can they attend again this year?
The CoYL Conference is a huge leadership development opportunity that we offer only once a year. Therefore, we will only accept students who have never attended the CoYL Conference before. Please give this leadership development chance to a new student!
7. Can my student drive or take a train to D.C.?
If your site is not located in D.C. we require delegates to fly into D.C. rather than driving or taking a train. YBUSA staff will be waiting for delegates at the Ronald Reagan National airport (DCA) and accompany them on the free shuttle to the hotel.
8. Are there any other YouthBuild events that I can attend with my students?
Please check out our 2010 Event Calendar at www.youthbuild.org/events to see an updated list of current training opportunities. The YouthBuild Transformation Institute being held in July in Redondo Beach, CA is open to staff and students.
9. My agency receives AmeriCorps funds…does that automatically make my program a YouthBuild AMC program?
If your organization receives AMC funds it does not automatically mean you are a YouthBuild AMC program. YB AMC programs receive AMC funding through YouthBuild. For additional questions about your AMC status, please contact: Matt Fisher at mfisher@youthbuild.org.
10. Are families of students allowed to come?
No, no families, friends, or children of delegates are allowed to attend the CoYL.
11. Can students have their own rooms?
No, in order to include as many young people as possible at CoYL, all delegates will share a double room with one other student. Roommates are selected first by gender and program and then by gender if a program sends students of different genders. Students are not allowed in any sleeping rooms that are not their own.
12. Can a student run for a position on the Young Leaders Council (YLC) who is not attending the CoYL?
No, all students running for a seat on the YLC must attend the CoYL and give their speech as part of the election process.
13. Are there any additional fees I need to know about?
Yes, the staff person who is taking the delegate(s) to the airport should be prepared to pay for an additional luggage fee when the student(s) check-in. These prices vary depending on airline from $15-35/checked bag. We encourage you to have your delegate(s) carry-on their luggage and one personal item. You will also need to provide your delegate(s) with the return flight money for their checked baggage, an additional $15-35/checked bag.
14. What can I do to help my delegate(s)?
The program staff person whose information was entered in the registration form is responsible for dropping off and picking up their delegate(s) from the airport. Explain the check-in process at the airport including security (specifically what can and cannot be brought on a plane, such as liquids) and things to do while waiting for a flight. It may also be helpful to speak with delegate(s) about air sickness and helpful remedies such as bringing music or taking a motion sickness pill an hour before the flight. We hope that the more prepared the student feels, the more comfortable they will feel traveling.
Additionally, this same staff person is required to be on the pre-conference call that was selected during the registration process to go over all details before the conference takes place.
15. Will the delegate(s) have any free time to go sight-seeing or souvenir shopping?
Please review the CoYL agenda carefully with your delegate(s), there is little free time, but there are opportunities such as the DC tour and off-site dinners when Home Groups travel together to sight-see. We do not encourage the delegate(s) to bring a lot of spending money for safety reasons and because there won’t be a great deal of time to go shopping.
16. My delegate(s) smokes, will that be a problem?
There is absolutely no smoking allowed in the hotel rooms that the delegate(s) are staying in. There is a $300.00+ cleaning charge for any room that someone smokes in. Delegate(s) are allowed to smoke in designated smoking areas outside of the hotel.
17. What if I register a delegate and they can’t come?
Changes, such as adding or having substitute candidates, are not permissible after registration is submitted. If any changes are made, your YouthBuild program will be invoiced the cost for all changes.
18. Should I book my delegate(s) travel or hotel?
Do not make any arrangements for your delegates. All travel, hotel, and meal arrangements will be booked by YB
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How do I register?
You may register up to, but no more than, two delegates.
As with previous years, we will only accept individuals who have not previously attended a Conference of Young Leaders, and who are at least 18 years old to represent your YouthBuild program.
We are able to accommodate on a first-come-first-serve basis only. Space is limited to 80 YouthBuild AmeriCorps Program delegates, 16 YouthBuild AmeriCorps Recovery Program delegates, and 20 Non-YouthBuild AmeriCorps Program delegates. Registration will be officially closed, once capacity has been reached!
We strongly encourage early submission of registration to ensure the least expensive transportation fares for your delegates and to meet deadlines stipulated by the hotel. Students must sign and return the Delegate Conduct Form in order to complete registration. Travel for students will NOT be made until this FORM is signed and received.
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