Discover Greensboro Guide Summer 2020

WE BUILD LEADERS It’s an impressive group of teens. Committed volunteers. Aspiring professionals. Soon-to-be valedictorians. Kids with strong world views and post-high school plans. Teens become adults at Greensboro Parks and Recreation’s long-running Greensboro Youth Council and Youth Leadership Greensboro. Both offer high schoolers a chance to earn service learning hours.

GREENSBORO YOUTH COUNCIL (GYC) High school freshmen and older | $ www.greensboro-nc.gov/gyc

GYC is a place where teens break out of their shells, build new relationships, and learn how to be leaders who serve their community. The 58-year-old organization offers teens a wide range of volunteer opportunities, including running events like Ghoulash, an annual Halloween festival, and Santa’s Workshop, a toy drive that provides free items to families in need. GYC members are required to do 30 hours of volunteer work per school year. They earn hours by volunteering at events, working in the GYC office, or attending training sessions on topics like time management and resume writing. “You are doing something that you wouldn’t do in any other organization. What organization do you know where students put on actual projects?” said Naya Davis, a former GYC chair. “The student volunteers play a huge role in it. It wouldn’t be possible without them.” It’s also a way for teens to meet students from across the city and break out of the social scene at their school. GYC will welcome new members beginning in August 2020.

YOUTH LEADERSHIP GREENSBORO (YLG) High school sophomores and older | $$$ Accepting applications starting May 1 at www.greensboro-nc.gov/ylg Parks and Recreation is now accepting applications from exceptional high school students who are ready to explore important issues in the Greensboro community while taking part in a service learning project. YLG is an immersive leadership experience held annually October through March. A group of 30 or fewer students are selected for a program designed by past participants. It includes full day sessions with class visits to businesses and nonprofit organizations to meet experts and influencers on local issues and hot topics facing the community. It’s a chance for them understand how Greensboro works so they can become better advocates and problem-solvers, build their resumes with real-world leadership experience, and meet other driven teens. “It was a great opportunity to meet a lot of kids around the city who are doing great things,” said Cameron Blizard, 18, an YLG graduate.

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