Southwest Youth Leadership Conference
June 5-10, 2011
The Southwest Youth Leadership Conference is an annual weeklong leadership training program in leadership, civic engagement, patriotism, and community involvement hosted by the Academy of Leadership & Liberty on the campus of Oklahoma Christian University. The program targets high school students from throughout the region who possess exceptional leadership talent. Founded in 1980, The Southwest Youth Leadership Conference is hosted in partnership with the Military Order of the World Wars, the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Character First and the Sojourners. The program provides a week of seminars and team learning opportunities for students who wish to develop as leaders so as to serve their communities. By the end of the week, students have a plan for continuing their leadership development and the confidence to start taking the lead.
Southwest Youth Leadership Conference (SWYLC) is broken into four sections, each of which focuses on a different issue.
- Students receive training based in history including the making of the Star Spangled Banner and the role of symbolism in motivation, the culture of determination in establishing the United States, American heritage--successes and failures, and the development of free enterprise.
- Students focus on the challenges facing the United States and the difficult decisions leaders are forced to make. For example, students wrestle with the issue of terrorism and the conflict between freedom and security. They also consider the trade-off between inexpensive energy sources and long-term concern for the environment. Teaching these concepts includes a visit to the Oklahoma Bombing Memorial and Museum and includes information on Homeland Security conducted by the Homeland Security section of the Oklahoma Military Department.
- Students consider the rule of law and organizational controls in regulating behavior and achieving success. Students will consider the role of the leader in an organization, contrasting the transactional leader and the transformational leader. Additionally, students discover the role of the constitution, government, and the courts in shaping the functioning of society.
- Throughout the program, students are encouraged to identify ways in which they can make a difference in their communities by taking the lead and encouraging others to work for change. Students are presented with a number of role models to inspire them to servant leadership.
In addition, SWYLC is guided by these core principles:
Character & Ethics:
As with all Academy of Leadership & Liberty programs, SWYLC seeks to assist young people to develop into character filled, ethical leaders for the future of this state and the world. All the way through the program, students are challenged to consider the ethical aspects of leadership. Also, students are prompted to consider the role of character and character development in the leader. As a team, the students wrestle with ethical dilemmas and each speaker brings a personal ethical challenge with his or her subject.
Networking & Teamwork:
Students also use the week to develop an invaluable resource—a network of other leaders. Every leader knows that without people, nothing gets done. An integral part of success in any endeavor is a collection of people who bring different talents, skills, and resources to the table. By linking student leaders together with other leaders at an early age, students get a head start on a life of successful leadership and achievement. All of the program components are designed with networking and diversity in mind. The moment students are registered for the program they are assigned to a team that is as diverse in makeup as possible. This forces students to work outside their comfort zone, to make different relationships, and to consider new viewpoints. During the week, teams work on a number of projects together that help students to develop teamwork, communication, and problem solving skills. Students are presented with challenging and fun situations and have to work together to achieve a successful result.
Skills Development:
Leadership is more than just raw talent and determination. While a portion of great leadership is aptitude, a great deal of what it takes to be a leader is skill based and can be learned. Participants in the program receive practical training in leadership skills from educators and successful leaders on subjects such as goal setting, conflict management, communication, problem solving, team work, and planning. Previous year’s speakers have represented many different aspects of leadership including a professor of leadership, State Legislators and other elected officials, diplomats, entrepreneurs, high school teachers, university administrators, business leaders, spiritual leaders, and others.
Box 11000 - Oklahoma City, OK - 73136