Office of Rural Education at Western Carolina University

Legislators' School for Youth Leadership Development

Program Components

All activities that make up the total program are included to help students achieve the program goals. There are some activities which all students must complete. Opportunities are also provided for students to make choices and select activities that match their interests.

Orientation: Special activities in small and large groups help students to meet and get to know each other. These early activities are fast paced and are designed to help students set personal goals that they hope to accomplish during the program.

Learn New Skills: Modules, structured activities, trips, and special events help students learn the basic skills to be a successful leader and group member. Subject areas in classes are leadership skills, community service, personal growth, communication skills, teamwork, and wellness. Problem-solving, interacting skills, critical thinking, conflict-resolving, and planning skills are some of the important "nuts and bolts" to be learned and practiced. Community service, ropes course, Backyard Problem project, and learning to be responsible for themselves and others provide ways for students to practice these newly polished skills.

Stretch To Do More Than You Think You Can Do: The ropes course, new recreation pursuits and learning activities are designed to help each student recognize that he or she can achieve success and learn more that he or she thinks possible. The challenges are carefully planned and well supervised. Learning to take the risks involved in becoming a leader is an important skill to which students will be exposed. Students plan a "Backyard Problem" project to initiate immediately upon returning home.

Learn More About Yourself: Students become involved in activities that help them form a realistic picture of their own strengths and abilities they wish to develop. Self-assessing, learning by doing, and plannining personal goals to achieve during the program are some of the ways program participants learn more about themselves. Students set goals to reach during the year following their participation in Legislators' School.

Broaden Your "Vision" of the World: Meeting and living with students from 48 other counties and working with staff members from North Carolina, as well as other states and countries help students gain confidence in their ability to get along with others. The opportunities to study and debate issues help students develop a better understanding of our ever-changing world. The process to seek creative alternatives to a solution will involve the acknowledgement of opinion differences.

Have Fun: It's not all work! Special events, such as field trips, etc., are included during the one-week session. Opportunities for recreational activities such as swimming, walking, jogging, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and quieter activities are also included. Many students consider the time spent enjoying the company of new found friends to be the most fun. Students will also discover that learning is fun.