GLEN JEAN, WV (WOAY) – “Let’s take it to the next level, how does that sound?”
Leaders young and old from across the world taking on new challenges at the Summit Bechtel Reserve this week for the National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience and the Summit Leadership Challenge.
“They can bring home the experience that they gained through the leadership skills that we emphasized after the challenges,” said Senior Crew Leader Phillip Alvarez.
Both groups taking part in team development activities this afternoon. Here, we see a team of seven adults working to cross the river between the ropes on these block floats without falling into the water.
“We have seven different varied ideas, but it was coming to one,” said Summit Leadership Challenge Participant Walter Weaver. “Having the leader of the group help us come choose the proper one.”
On the younger side, 16-year old Keira Lowden is in from Summit, New Jersey.
She’s playing a key, communicative roll as her group fixes a hand laceration in a participant who also has Type-1 diabetes.
“Making sure that we really understand what we’re doing,” Lowden said. “How to assign roles and how to work together well.”
Participants in both leadership groups are planning to take what they learn this to pass onto other communities.
“It’s really about bringing it home,” Alvarez said.
It’s only the second day, but you’d have no idea based off of the chemistry that’s already been built.
“48 hours ago, we were seven strangers,” Weaver said. “None of us knew each other. Now, we’re a team.”
Working together, leading each other.
“We’ve really just spent a lot of time getting to know each other,” Lowden said.
