Youth Leadership Conference 2024

WHAT:

The 2024 Annual Youth Leadership Conferences (YLCs) of Region VIII, Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) and affiliated organizations will be held in-person this summer.

The purpose of the program is to teach high school students the fundamentals of Leadership, Americanism, Patriotism, the American Free Enterprise and Judicial systems; the fundamentals of citizenship. The conferences provide excellent speakers, workshops, networking with their peers from across the state, and are a memorable experience for the high school students.

Approximately 250 students are selected annually to attend these conferences, with awards presented to the Outstanding Student at each conference. The expectation is that the students will return to their high schools with a better understanding of what a leader truly is, how they lead effectively, and impart that knowledge to their peers.

WHO:

Participants are high school leaders from the states of Texas and Oklahoma who are entering their Junior or Senior years in the Fall of 2024. They are selected by sponsoring Chapters of the Military Order of the World Wars or by other affiliated sponsoring organizations.

HOW:

Students are sponsored at no cost to them. The sponsorship includes all meals, lodging and program costs. Parents provide their student’s transportation to and from the conferences.

While at the conferences, the students are always under adult supervision. The students are assigned to teams and led by previous graduates of the YLCs who serve as counselors and facilitators for the workshops. The students are housed in university dormitories with men and women separated. They eat in university dining facilities and meet in university auditoriums and classrooms. Some of the conferences have field trips to local attractions such as the President George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, the National Museum of the Pacific War, and the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

WHEN & WHERE:

• Oklahoma Christian University YLC, Edmond, Oklahoma 10-14 June 2024
• Schreiner University YLC, Kerrville, Texas 16-20 June 2024
• Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 7-11 July 2024
• Texas Wesleyan University YLC, Fort Worth, Texas 14-18 July 2024

**All the mandated COVID-19 precautions and protections required by Texas, Oklahoma and the host Universities will be observed.**

Sample Youth Leadership Conference Schedule

Day 1 Theme: Orientation and YLC Focus

• 12:00 PM In-processing Student Arrivals and Room Key Issue
• 2:00 Orientation Introductions, Conference rules and Policies
• 3:00 Workshop #1 Team Tasks & Preparations for “Talent Night”
• 7:00 Workshop #2 Team discussions: “Leaders I Admire” & Citizenship Challenge
• 8:00 Workshop #3 Team discussions: “Defining Leadership & US Presidents Quiz”
• 10:30 Quiet Time All students in quarters. Lights out by 11:00 p.m.

Day 2 Theme: Leadership and the Bill of Rights

• 6:30 AM Roll Call Exercises and games
• 8:30 Workshop #4.1 Team discussions “Identifying the Top National Issues”
• 9:30 Workshop #4.2 Team presentations “Prioritizing the Top National Issues”
• 10:30 Workshop #5.1 Preparations for the Trial, “Carla Jensen vs. White Star Lines” 1:00 PM Workshop #5.2 “The Titanic Trial”
• 2:00 Speaker #1 “The Law and You”
• 3:00 Field Trip #1 Local Landmark, Leadership Attraction
• 5:00 Speaker #2 “Leadership by Example”
• 7:00 Movie Demonstrated Principles of Leadership
• 9:00 Workshop #6 Preparations for “Talent Night”
• 10:30 Quiet Time All students in quarters. Lights out by 11:00 PM

Day 3 Theme: Leadership and Free Enterprise

• 6:30 AM Roll Call Exercises and games
• 8:30 Speaker #3 “American Exceptionalism”
• 9:30 Workshop #7 Team discussions, “Federal Control vs. Free Enterprise”
• 11:00 Speaker #4 “You are Tomorrow’s Leaders”
• 1:00 Speaker #5 “Free Enterprise and Capitalism”
• 2:00 Speaker #6 “Freedom isn’t Free”
• 3:00 Workshop #8 Court cases, “Supreme Court decisions: The 10 Amendments”
• 6:30 Workshop #9 Talent Night, “America’s Got Talent”
• 10:30 Quiet Time All students in quarters. Lights out by 11:00 PM

Day 4 Theme: Leadership and You

• 6:30 AM Roll Call Exercises and games
• 8:30 Workshop #10 Letters to Sponsoring organizations and Student elections
• 10:30 Speaker #7 “Texas Leads the Way”
• 6:00 Banquet Reception, followed by Supper
• 7:00 Speaker #8 Banquet Speaker
• 10:30 Quiet Time All students in quarters – with lights out by 11:00 PM

Day 5 Theme: Actions Speak Louder than Words

• 6:30 AM Rise and shine All students pack for departure.
• 8:30 Speaker #9 “Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way”
• 10:00 Out-processing Final packing, dorm cleaning, key turn-in, and departure