They have survived nights in the woods. They learn from lawyers, doctors and business professionals. They have visited senior homes, city halls, newsrooms, safe injection sites and the Williams Lake Indian Band. They have worked with organizations from B.C. Transplant to the David Suzuki Foundation.
The Youth Leadership Millennium (YLM) program is a seven-month program that aims to develop life and leadership skills for participants aged 14 to 24. YLM is tied to the completion of the three levels of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, encouraging youth in areas of service, skills and physical recreation.
Participants call YLM much more than just a program; it’s also a community, a family.
UBC student Daphne Chen completed the program in 2011 and is one of many YLM alumni who return to help out. She stresses that participants are not put into a lecture hall or classroom to learn about leadership but experience a range of activities. Hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, and camps in addition to weekly meetings bring youth closer.
Former participant Jodie Mak understands the seven-month duration is a bit unusual, but believes it contributes to the program’s success. “Not many programs last that long, but it helps participants build relationships, learn to work with each other and see the fruits of the things they do.”
Chen fondly recalls YLM’s outreach efforts as youth are required to plan initiatives based on community needs. Chen helped plan a multi-school battery drive to help educate a younger demographic on recycling. She also helped plan a series of talks in partnership with B.C. Transplant, which included testimonials from those who had undergone surgery.
The experiences have encouraged her to take a more active role in university life. “If I didn’t have YLM, I would have been a lot more shy and wouldn’t take the initiative to go find different ways to get involved,” said Chen.
The program also provides opportunities to help youth start thinking about careers, inviting professionals from different fields to talk about their jobs and answer questions.
Kenneth Tung got involved with Duke of Edinburgh programs in Hong Kong and founded the YLM in Vancouver in 1998 with SUCCESS, a non-profit that assists immigrants at all stages of their Canadian experience.
“To raise youth you need a village,” said Tung, who viewed SUCCESS as the perfect platform to teach social awareness while developing important skills such as communication, public speaking, project coordination and physical fitness. “It’s important to help youth develop more than one area to become a successful person.”
Tung’s son, Anthony, enrolled in YLM’s first year and is still involved today. He shares his father’s vision and believes the program’s diversity makes it unique. Looking for a word to describe the experience, he compares it to a buffet.
“You get to try a lot of different things,” said Anthony. “YLM doesn’t try to mold youth into a cookie-cutter leader. It’s about trying many experiences through resources YLM has built over the years and finding out what you like. You learn about yourself and how you can give back.”
Chen has learned exactly this. “It took time, but I matured a lot from the different opportunities and working with different people.”
Those interested can find out more at successylm.org or e-mail [email protected]. The deadline for applications is June 15.
