High school student Gabriella MacAdam already has a lot on her plate.
A senior at San Juan Hills High School in the US, MacAdam is senior class president, vice-president of the school's National Honor Society, and captain of the volleyball team.
But twice a month, MacAdam heads to the Oak Knoll Clubhouse to attend meetings of the Teen Leadership Council (TLC), a volunteer program that gives students the chance to work on leadership skills while contributing to events and activities. "We're trying to inspire other teens to get involved ... not only for our generation, but for future teenagers," she said. "It's never too early to start learning to be a leader."
MacAdam is one of 26 middle school and high school students in the group, which was formed in 2010. Its activities range from Teen Movie Nights to setting up booths at public events, such as the Harvest Festival. The purpose of the group is not only to allow teenagers to have a say in the shape of the community, but to mold (塑造) them into young leaders. "The thought was to have a good, positive place for teens to get together, to learn these basic leadership skills, to send them out to the community and to be our future leaders," said Tamara Bush, an adviser for TLC.
In the group, everyone gets a chance to present their ideas, and everyone gets a voice and a chance to vote. MacAdam said that inclusiveness (包容) helps boost (增强) the confidence of individual members. "It's really made a positive difference in people," she said. "Everyone is getting involved. They aren't afraid to volunteer or speak their minds."
MacAdam waited for her chance to join TLC after watching her older sister volunteer on the council. Others, like San Juan Hills student Anya Searle, joined because they enjoy the extra responsibility. "We didn't have that many responsibilities and we wanted to act older than we really were," Searle joked. MacAdam said being on the council has helped her manage all the different activities in which she participates. She plans to study communications in college and recently had an interview with USC.
"I feel I'm more prepared to go into that industry knowing how to communicate with people and get things done in a time-management order," she said. "It's taught me how to work with a diverse group of people and manage things well."
