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Gumz Youth Leadership in a Pandemic: A Great Opportunity
EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO SHAPE THEIR FUTURES WITH CONFIDENCE
Endless opportunities await your student at Kirby School. Visit kirby.org and contact our Admissions team to learn more about our Test-Free Application process and to schedule a tour.
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COMMUNITY NEWS Youth Leadership in a Pandemic: A Great Opportunity
In November, Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance was one of 32 statewide nonprofits to receive funding to increase youth voice and leadership. Two teens in that program share what they’ve learned:
••• Arlette Del Toro, 16 Watsonville High School
Empower Watsonville is an outreach leadership program empowering youth in Santa Cruz County. As a leadership program, this program helps individuals from the 8th grade to the 12th grade for public speaking, tabling at the Watsonville farmers market, creating social media awareness posts, and organizing a youth conference for teenagers.
As participants who are part of the 12th grade graduate in June, Empower Watsonville hosts recruitments for those who are willing to commit to one of three levels of commitment which include astonishing rewards -- as well as a scholarship if you decide to commit to either Level One or Two. Level Three is more of a pitch-in commitment in which you join when you can.
COVID-19 has had a significant impact for the Empower Watsonville participants as our leadership program was dismissed earlier than anticipated. All summer and fall plans for the year 2020 were discarded and canceled due to a deadly pandemic occurring worldwide.
By being a first-year member and a sophomore at Watsonville High School it felt like an extended spring break as we were all out for spring break in our school district which later came to a whole year with no in-person instruction.
Empower Watsonville staff such as Erika Trejo, Tiffany Brell and McKenna Maness were very attentive when this whole pandemic was at its peak.
“Youth Leadership” page 26
