August

In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret disorder.

Carl Jung

I am going to pause from reflecting on the practitudes of effective leadership today and provide an update on some of what we are planning in the upcoming months.  I must admit that I have been so busy developing the leadership training program for YouthPlatform and moving (yes, I am sitting in the midst of boxes and rampant disorganization) that I’ve lost a track of time.  July is already over and August is roaring to go.

For starters, we are almost finished finding guest speakers for our YouthPlatform program and they are all people I have come to respect and enjoy discussing everything from politics to life. Well, mostly.  They are experienced women at different stages of their lives and have developed weathered perspectives on leadership.  I am looking forward to talking and probing them for their insights.  I don’t know if the students will appreciate their wisdom but I know when they are old and mature, they will look back and be grateful (let’s hope). 

While the program is progressing well, it has been challenging to find motivated, committed youth facilitators who would provide the leadership for YouthPlatform this year.  These high schoolers are busy and difficult to pin down for even a short chat.  So I started musing, how do we inspire young people to get involved in an organization that is focused on transforming their communities when life pulls them in a million directions?  To be honest, it is not easy to connect with them.  After all, it has been a while since I’ve been in high school and trust me when I say that I was never engaged with high schoolers when I was young.  I was one of those studious loners with very little time for anything but books, ideas, and teaching.  I know - L.  Don’t get me wrong, these students are highly motivated in ‘getting in the bag’ (new slang I’ve learned from them), sports, news, issues, etc. but it is all about channeling and directing that energy for the common good.  We will get there but I am not sure if I have the patience to deal with all the ups and downs, the drama of a high schooler, etc.  I think I might lose some hair and get a few more wrinkles in the process.

So what are we planning to develop through YouthPlatform?  We are working on developing regular podcasts and blogs for our website, workshops for middle schoolers for Spring, retreat for Summer, and most immediately, the Fall leadership training program.  And to make this possible, YouthPlatform will also be writing grant proposals … Yes!  Mara, our grant writing coordinator, will be working closely with Tesfana Gebremariam and Jahayra Bernal Martinez to apply for grant money.  I am so grateful that she is taking over because its not easy having students visualize and write about it - trust me, I’ve spent a whole semester trying to get students to write even 1 blog.

If we are focusing so much of our energy on YouthPlatform, where does Platform fit in?  Don’t worry, I am trying to organize the adult version of the leadership training but I am stuck on a few details like how can I fit 14 topics in 10 weeks.  Once I clear out some of my office space, the most important room, I will probably get some ideas, and also I will be speaking with Maria Ignacia Miranda, our board member, who I know will help me.

Hoping that our Platform community is well and thriving, as best as they can, during the pandemic!