by Kerri Campbell
Special to the Tri-State Defender

With a little help, summer can be “a creative learning experience.” Just ask Tierahnee, a participant in the year-three version of the Memphis Youth Leadership Program (MYLP).

Memphis Youth Leadership Program (MYLP) participants during a team building canoeing exercise at Kamp Kiwani. (Courtesy photos)

The program recently came to a close on the campus of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. For Teirahnee, the lessons learned are fresh and envisioned as longlasting.

“I would like to thank them for giving me the chance to have a creative learning experience this summer,” she said. “MYLP has helped us realize that there is a bigger world out there than we realize.”

Staffed by highly qualified professionals and college interns, MYLP is a partnership between Memphis Challenge, the Workforce Investment Network and Ross Innovative Employment Solutions, and counts the Women’s Foundation for Greater Memphis among its sponsors.  

Launched in 2008 as a pilot, MYLP is an eight-week training and development initiative preparing youth, ages 14 – 19, to function at higher levels. Students are offered leadership and life-skills coaching, as well as applied experience in workforce readiness.

Program modules focus on: business etiquette; time and money management; conflict resolution and career exploration; personal image and personal responsibility; and effective communication and public speaking.  Serving over 150 students divided into nine cohorts, this year’s program was hosted on the campuses of LeMoyne Owen College, the University of Memphis and UTHSC. This was in line with MYLP’s commitment to expose students to a collegiate atmosphere, as well as opportunities in higher education.

In an effort to further broaden the students’ horizons, curriculum enhancements include: the “STRONG ME! Healthy Teen Challenge,” designed to help teens develop healthy lifestyle behaviors and maintain healthy body weights; the Creative Arts Expression Module, exposing teens to outlets for artistic expression, such as dance and theatre; the Entrepreneurial Initiative, which allowed students to plan and develop a model business venture; and the Kamp Kiwani Breakout Experience, in Middleton, Tenn., which showcased outdoor adventures such as archery, canoeing, and a low-ropes challenge course.

“MYLP students are being equipped with valuable training and skills necessary to become successful and productive employees,” said Cassandra Webster, executive director of The Memphis Challenge, Inc.

 “It has truly been amazing to watch these young people transform over the course of these two months, as their confidence increases and their talents develop.”

The program came to a close on the campus of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). Highlights included an energetic and interactive presentation led by Javier Sanchez, CEO of R.E.A.C.H. Communications. Sanchez, a nationally acclaimed motivational speaker and youth advocate, presented Living Loud and Clear, using an innovative combination of performance art and experiential learning activities to promote team-building, goal-setting and personal responsibility.

To learn more about MYLP, visit: www.memphischallenge.org/youth-leadership.