JrNYLC Curriculum
The curriculum offers a unique approach to leadership training that makes the program an unparalleled opportunity for students to learn and apply new concepts in an intellectually stimulating environment.
Becoming a Voice of Leadership
The theme of the conference is Voices of Leadership: Reflecting on the Past to Create the Future. Students will examine the concept of leadership in the context of American history.
To help them better understand the many factors that impact any historical era, students will be immersed in history through a series of hands-on experiences. They will lead and participate in activities designed to enhance critical thinking skills, promote problem solving, and expose them to different ways of thinking. In the past, students have also discovered historic locations and explored the memorials and museums of our nation’s capital.
Leadership Focus Groups
Each day, students and their Advisors meet in Leadership Focus Groups to discuss important Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills such as communication, collaboration, time-management, and self-management. The overall goal of JrNYLC is to enhance and develop these traits within each student. Within their Leadership Focus Groups and throughout the conference, students interact with peers from across the nation and develop long-lasting friendships.
Daily Skills Workshops
All students will attend a variety of workshops which will give them the opportunity to enhance their writing, public speaking, and discussion skills. They will work in groups to connect attributes of leaders of the past to leadership today. The conference culminates with a community engagement project in which students apply the skills they have acquired and share a week’s worth of findings and insights on a special topic with their peers.
JrNYLC Sample Schedule
Keynote Speaker: Anthony Robles
When Anthony Robles was born without a right leg, doctors had no explanation for the birth defect and there was little hope he would lead a normal life. His mom, however, always told him that God made him that way for a reason and encouraged him to pursue his dream of wrestling.
At 14, Robles tried out for his school’s wrestling team and became the smallest kid on the lineup, finishing his first year in last place at the Mesa City wrestling tournament. But against all odds, Robles believed he could one day be a champion wrestler and proved to be an unstoppable force. With the support of his mother and coaches, he went from being last in the city to finishing his junior and senior years at Mesa High School as a two-time Arizona State Champion and a high school National Champion with a 96-0 record.
Despite finishing high school on top, Robles once again faced prejudice in the sport of wrestling, as no college wrestling programs believed he could excel at the next level. Through bold determination, he "walked on" at Arizona State University and made it his mission to prove to them, and the world, that anything was possible. Robles graduated from Arizona State with a degree in Business Communication and finished his college wrestling career as a three-time All-American and the 2011 NCAA National Champion. He was also awarded the 2011 NCAA “Best Wrestler of the National Tournament Award.”
Partial List of Past Envision Distinguished Speakers
The Impact of Nominating
Since 1985, Envision by WorldStrides has helped more than 800,000 high-achieving students, ranging from elementary school through college, expand their leadership abilities, discover their passion for a future career, and realize the power of their potential. A majority of those students were nominated by caring, inspiring teachers who recognized their potential for a bright future and rewarded them with a nomination to an Envision program.
The value and positive impact your nomination has on a student cannot be overstated. Even if your nominees decide not to attend a program, just being selected is an empowering and often a life-changing event. You have the power to make an impact—your vote of confidence in their hard work and dedication builds confidence and inspires them to keep reaching their goals.