Media Coverage

Kansas Youth Leadership Academy Hosts Annual Camps
The Kansas Youth Leadership Academy held its annual middle school camp from June 4-6 and high school camp from June 20-23 on the Fort Hays State University campus.

Ninety-seven middle school and 96 high school students from across the state of Kansas gathered to learn about concepts such as teamwork, problem solving, diversity, communication, and citizenship. Campers participated in The Amazing Race II teamwork competition, interactive leadership sessions, and a community service project which included making blankets for the local nursing homes and hospitals. The students also received some relaxation time at the Hays Aquatic Park and a luau in Frontier Park.

Nex-Tech, Dessin Fournir Companies, Hays Storage Systems, The Hays Daily News, the Office of the Provost, Professional Rental Management, Office of the President, Midwest Energy, Lewis Automotive Groups, H & L Production, Wal*Mart, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and Insurance Planning Incorporated sponsored scholarships for students to attend camp, or gave monetary donations. Because of their generosity, many students were able to participate at camp.

Through the corporate partnership of McDonald's owner-operators and their 148 restaurants, the Kansas Youth Leadership Academy has been able to impact the lives of youth, and develop future leaders through their seminars, specialized trainings, and camps.

KYLA Gains National Exposure in TIME Magazine
In the August 7, 2006 issue of Time magazine, Lewis Toyota in Hays is featured and awarded for their contributions to young people through the Kansas Youth Leadership Academy (KYLA). Lewis Toyota provided camp scholarships this summer for six middle and high school students. The article gives a brief description of KYLA and the summer camps and features a photograph with former KYLA director Kelley Kuhlmann, KYLA participants Elizabeth Rupp and Reid O?Brien, Lewis Toyota owner Jim Lewis, and his daughter Jamey Harms.

Canton-Galva Eagle Leaders
KYLA assisted the Canton-Galva Eagle Leaders, a new group that will play a leadership role within their school and surrounding community. The Eagle Leaders responsibilities include welcoming new students, assisting students that may be struggling at school, and providing a service element to Canton-Galva High School. KYLA acted as a facilitator in uniting the newly established group. Once the members became acquainted, the group addressed the importance of communication, team dynamics and the roles leaders and followers play in any organization. The morning concluded with an ?Action Plan? activity that would assist the group in carrying out a service project.

Governor forges business-education alliance
Owner-operators of McDonald's restaurants in Kansas pledge $100,000 for Kansas Youth Leadership Academy

On January 12, 2005, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius announced that the Owner-Operators of the 152 McDonald's restaurants in Kansas joined in a partnership with the Kansas Youth Leadership Academy to educate the state?s future leaders.

?The McDonald's Restaurant owner-operators donated $100,000 over a two-year period,? Gov. Sebelius said. ?This made it possible for young Kansans to learn about leadership and develop the tools necessary to become effective citizen leaders. Aside from the obvious benefit of this gift for the future of our state, I?m also optimistic their generosity can serve as the model for other partnerships between business and education.?

The KYLA is based at Fort Hays State University?s Center for Civic Leadership but conducts seminars and camps at various sites so that middle-school and high-school students throughout the state can participate. It was founded in June 2004 with a $50,000 grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, but new sources of funding were needed to continue and expand the program. Gov. Sebelius asked the McDonald's Owner-Operators to help, and the answer was yes.

?The opportunity to contribute to young people?s development in the areas of character, leadership and civic involvement was an invitation we couldn?t pass up,? said Lee Renz, vice president, general manager of McDonald's Corporation Heartland Region.

?We are privileged to be asked and proudly accept this partnership in a statewide youth leadership development initiative.?

Dr. Edward H. Hammond, president of Fort Hays State University, was the moderator for today?s news conference to announce the new partnership. ?I also want to thank the governor for her leadership and assistance in building this partnership in support of the KYLA,? he said.

Gail Kuehl, who owns and operates the McDonald's restaurants in Hays, WaKeeney and Russell with her husband, Rick, explained why her group was willing to answer the governor?s request. ?Community leadership and responsibility are inherent to McDonald's heritage and values,? she said. ?The cornerstone of the McDonald's system?s approach to philanthropy is to make a difference in the lives of children. We accomplish this through the dedication and commitment of the 48 owner-operators of the 148 McDonald's Restaurants across the state of Kansas. I have had the privilege of being involved with KYLA since its inception. They are doing such important work in the development of our future leaders. It has been very rewarding to see the growth in these kids as they begin their journeys of personal development.?

Kuehl said that as far she knew, this was the first time the family of McDonald's Restaurants in Kansas had joined together unanimously on a single project.

?We look forward to being the cornerstone in the project as we all move forward together toward a brighter future which will be created by these exceptional young people,? she said.

Dr. Curt Brungardt, director of FHSU?s Center for Civic Leadership, said the $100,000 partnership with the McDonald's restaurants of Kansas was vital to the future of KYLA. ?This contribution makes it possible to fulfill the KYLA mission of encouraging young Kansans to, first, live safe and healthy lives with strong character and, second, be active community members who serve as lifelong citizen leaders,? he said.

?I thank the generous McDonald's owner-operators not only for the $100,000 gift but for their support of KYLA,? President Hammond said. ?This partnership will be an ongoing benefit to all Kansans.?

The KYLA program is divided into four main components: academy seminars, resident camps and conferences, specialized programs, and teacher preparation.

The academy seminars, the first step in the civic leadership process, are presented yearly to middle-school and high-school students at different college-level institutions. During each seminar, students are introduced to the basic principles of civic leadership through discussion and activities. At the conclusion of the seminar, students will return to their schools with a leadership plan developed to implement the theories they have learned.

Seminars were conducted Sept. 27 at FHSU in Hays, Oct. 14 at Butler County Community College in El Dorado, and Nov. 11 at the Kaw Area Technical School in Topeka. The themes KYLA focuses on for 2004-2005 are integrity, team dynamics, effective communication, leadership concepts (the skills and concepts needed to make a good leader), diversity appreciation, and citizenship.

Specialized Programs, another component of KYLA, are designed to provide a statewide public outreach for school districts and other organizations. KYLA Director Kara Moore and Certified Leadership Trainers from KYLA travel from school to school assisting sixth- through 12th-graders with leadership development. After a brief interview with interested students about their goals and expectations for the training, the staff of KYLA tailors a program specifically for that school or organization. These instructed students then assume leadership roles and disseminate the information to their school systems to help the schools develop individual and unique leadership programs.

The next component, resident camps and conferences, was first implemented four years ago by the Center for Civic Leadership at FHSU. During each summer session, an in-depth understanding of leadership is introduced to middle-school and high-school students through daily leadership activities.

The final component, teacher preparation, will instill leadership programs into the school systems for academic use and will ensure that teachers receive adequate instruction to teach the programs.

For more information about the academy or to become involved in KYLA, visit www.developingleaders.org or call (785) 628-5399.

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Youth Leadership Inspires Youth And Encourages Seniors

Kansas Senior Times, August 2007

 

The noise was palpable and the energy out the top of the reactor scale when the doors to the gym of the Hays Recreation Center opened Friday afternoon, June 22, and 105 high school students, from all across Kansas, bound into the room.  The event was the final afternoon of the annual Kansas Youth Leadership Academy camp hosted by Fort Hays University (FHSU) each year.  High School students, grades 9-12, spent four days on the campus of FHSU, staying in the campus dorms at night.  Cathie Klein, FHSU director of the Kansas Youth Leadership Academy, (KYLA), speaking about what she hoped the camp would achieve said, “I think this is an excellent opportunity to help in bridging the generation gap; Inviting young people to share their experience and technology with those of an older generation who can share what life was like before an iPod or cell phone.  It should be fun for both.”  KYLA is a statewide, comprehensive program that promotes youth leadership development. Their primary emphasis is providing practical tools that nurture the development of strong character traits, an engaging attitude, and an educational experience that fosters leadership development among young people. The conceptual model for citizen leadership by which the Academy operates includes: Character Education, Civic Education, and Leadership Education.  AmeriCorps*VISTA’s CariMcGrath, who serves with FHSU’s KYLA, and Joy Fischer, assistant director, both work with the Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent groups in Hays.  Six ladies from the Senior Companion group were present at the camp to interact with the students and aide in promoting understanding between the generations. The ladies included: Carol Cline, Victoria; Connie Wilson, Hays; Doris Robben, Victoria; Marion Geist, Hays; Sister Julia Pfeifer, Hays; and Marge Dinkel, Plainville.  During the camp, the students enjoyed a variety of daily camp activities that engaged students in enhancing their leadership skills while focusing on character development and civic responsibility. Community members, college faculty and student councilors all work together to make the camp a success. They challenged the students to become civilly engaged in their own communities. They encouraged them to stay motivated, think outside the box, learn problem solving skills, classroom etiquette, and risk leadership. The evenings activities were planned with a Pizza party one night; and a Barbeque the second night.  The high school students celebrated the end of their camping experience with a formal dinner and dance, Thursday night, at the Fox Pavilion. The Senior Companions attended and took part in the program. Connie Wilson and Carol Kline, senior volunteers, joined the youth on stage, trying out the Tango, the Waltz, the Cha-Cha, and the Mahayana. Carol Cline, Victoria, was voted the Senior Companion who was the most fun. By the time this reporter joined them on Friday afternoon, the campers were well acquainted and the vocal interaction and friendly bickering, attested to the success of the camp. Tables were set up to hold eight to ten campers, one councilor, and a Senior Companion volunteer at each table. Due to the shortage of volunteers, this reporter, a silver haired grandma herself, was called on to lead a group during the activities and enjoyed it very much. The first hour of the afternoon was devoted to Bingo. McGrath was in charge of explaining the events of the afternoon and called the Bingo numbers. This activity resulted in fierce competition between the tables with the senior companions joining in the fun. The winning table lorded their victory over the other tables but it was all in good fun. Brett Whitaker, one of the counselors for the camp admitted, “I wasn’t sure if Bingo would go over well, but they all seemed to really get into it and had a good time.” Several other games were played including “Little Sally Walker” and “Ride Pony Ride.” The second hour was spent with the campers listening to life stories and asking the senior volunteers questions about their lives during the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. The questions were amazingly good and showed that the campers were taking the discussion seriously. Since I was not a part of the senior group, students at my table also asked me questions about what I do as a free - lance writer. The closing ceremonies included a slide show presentation of each day’s events, and a final farewell to their newfound friends and college counselors. Parents of the campers were invited to attend. After interviewing 20 or 25 campers about their reactions to the camp, I can truthfully tell you there was not a bad experience expressed. Most of the campers who will be eligible age wise plan to come back next year. There is no limit to the number of years they can attend. David Pfortmiller, Olathe North High School, said he learned new leadership qualities and met a lot of new people. Rachel Carroll, Olathe North, said she had a lot of new ideas to take back to her school. Nathan Lawson, C&P High School, Hays, said this was his third year at camp. He enjoyed learning new and different ways to lead in his high school organizations. Tate Bruggeman, Garden Plains, admitted he liked checking out the girls, attending the dance, and learning to think outside the box. Margareta Caulfield, Topeka High, who plans to be a politician like her father, said, “After attending the youth camp, my perception as a young leader has changed for the better. I have learned new ideas to lead the State of Kansas to success in the years to come.” Kevin James, Junction City High School, said, “This was my first and last year to be here. I think I am destined to change the way I look at life. I have learned how to set my goals to achieve more in the future.” Katie Scott, Norton High, said she learned to work as a team to get more things done. Edith Reza, Great Bend High, said, “This week has been awesome. It has been a life changing experience that I will remember the rest of my life.” Planning this Kansas Youth Leadership Academy camp had to have taken a lot of time, planning, talent, and hard work to put together. 

For more information, visit KYLA at developingleaders.org