New Bedford Mayor’s Youth Council to Host Free Leadership Forum

On Sunday, June 5th, 2016, the City of New Bedford Mayor’s Youth Council will host the 2nd annual forum for middle school aged youth designed to help kids develop their leadership skills and encourage community engagement. Attendees of the “ABCs of Leadership” forum will participate in workshops on public speaking, community service, leadership styles and peer leadership. Students will also learn ways to encourage their peers to make good choices and avoid the kinds of poor decisions that lead to negative, long-term consequences. The forum will also include a scavenger hunt, a Q & A session with New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, raffle prizes, lunch and snacks.

The forum will be held at YWkids, 89 Merrimac Street in New Bedford from 9:30AM to 3:30PM on Sunday, June 5th, 2016. School bus transportation will be provided with pick-ups and drop-offs at Keith, Normandin and Roosevelt middle schools and the Global Learning Charter School. The forum is free and made possible by Invest in Kids funding through the City’s Office of Community Services and support from the YWCA Southeastern MA.

Members of the Mayor’s Youth Council, 9-12th grade students from New Bedford, have developed and will present the youth forum.

“We are looking forward to building on last year’s successes and to making this an annual event. This year’s theme of leadership and civic engagement was inspired by our work in the community and conversations with last year’s forum attendees,” says Himali Patel, Forum Chair. The 2015 forum, EcoExtravaganza, was held at Silverbrook Farm in Dartmouth and focused on learning about green and healthy lifestyles. “We want to encourage other youth to become leaders in their schools, neighborhoods and larger community,” Patel said.

The City of New Bedford Mayor’s Youth Council was created in 1998 by the Mayor to be the eyes and ears of city youth in an advisory capacity to the Mayor and city government. The council assists city officials in the development of community projects from a youth’s perspective. The Mayor’s Youth Council in partnership with the City of New Bedford Office of Community Services is a program of the YWCA of Southeastern MA.

Interested youth may obtain an application from their schools, New Bedford’s Office of Community Services or by calling Pam Pollock, Advisor to the Mayor’s Youth Council 508-965-6927 or emailing her at pampol@aol.com for more information.