Blog #2 (YIA)

There was one story specifically that I identified with, and that was the story of a women, who is the Executive Director, who made it to Brown University. When I got my acceptance letter to college, I felt like I accomplished something, and was taking my education to the next level. However, I learned what I had to learn in order to pass the class, which was the same mentality I had in high school. It wasn't until I was in my junior year in college that I began to realize that all of the things that I am learning, could be applied to in the real world. I decided to take what I have learned involving music, and to give it back to my community. I never took the time to dig deep and work on what I loved to do the most, which was music. I regret not being able to say "I was a part of chorus in high school." or "I was in a musical." I want to take what I have been taught and help prepare the next generation to go after their dreams, while I am going after mine. YIA models the notion of "Leading With..." by showing that their youth are the leaders, but they work together. No one leads on their own, but they work together. I remember reading about how each person on staff working at YIA gets a chance to be told their strengths and weaknesses. As for me personally, the last thing I want is for a group of people to tell me what I'm doing wrong and what I need to work on, and then make me feel better by telling me my strengths. I would be very uncomfortable, but I do see the proactive part of this activity, which is to build community and trust among themselves. If trusting the very ones who are close to you to tell you the truth about yourself, pushes you to greater heights in life, then that is where this can help promote growth in a work setting with the workers altogether.