Jackson Free Press

In an age when television airwaves and opinion pages burst with outraged faces and voices on both sides of the political spectrum, one group of Mississippi youth is conducting public discourse in a more level-headed light. What's more, these high schoolers are learning how to enact social change where it matters most: the community.

The high school sophomores and juniors in Youth Leadership Jackson come from about 22 public and private schools in Madison, Hinds and Rankin counties, from both urban and rural areas.

This diverse group of 44 students discusses race, religion, politics and local issues without debasing one another or resorting to insults.

Angelyn Irvin, 17, was one of those students last spring, and she says that her experience in YLJ has taught her to look at social problems and issues from another point of view. "There were a lot of elephants in the room at first, not just race but the different social economics," says Irvin, who was a Jackson Free Press intern this summer.

"We shouldn't silence issues," she adds. "You have to bring it up. Ignoring a problem will not make it go away."

Irvin, now a senior at Murrah High School, reiterates the importance of employing empathy in day-to-day life, a core tenet of YLJ. "That's another thing we discussed, getting out of your comfort zone, purposefully putting yourself in an awkward situation," she says. "You better yourself by doing that. You become a more compassionate person. ... You appreciate people more. You see where they're actually coming from when they do certain things or say certain things; you don't just make snap judgments."

The YLJ class of 2009/2010 represents a carefully selected segment of young men and women from a pool of more than 400 applicants, says Shirley Tucker, the program's director, who has been with the program for 17 years of its 19 years of operation.

"Our goal is to develop leadership skills in youth in the metro area," Tucker says. "We help develop their skills not only by teaching them about themselves, but getting them involved in the community."

YLJ is part of the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership and Leadership Jackson Alumni, and has been operating since 1991. For the six months that the program lasts, the group meets once a month, discussing a different topic for five of those months: leadership development, diversity, law and politics, education and health care. Self-discovery and community involvement are also key elements.

"(YLJ) aided me in knowing who I am, being confident and telling everyone about it," says 17-year-old Jerek Brown.

Brown was part of the international baccalaureate program at Jim Hill High School, "located in west Jackson, in the historic Washington District," he says with pride.

He describes his school as "99 percent African American," so the YLJ class is a more diverse atmosphere than he's used to in the classroom. For instance, had Brown never been involved with YLJ, it's conceivable he never would have met Elliot Thomas III, who is also 17 but attends Jackson Academy.

"It opens you up to things you're not used to," Thomas says. "They throw a lot at you at one time. You would never experience some of this stuff if you weren't in the program."

Thomas says that during meetings, it was a welcome change to be able to speak frankly to other students his age on issues traditionally considered too touchy, namely segregation.

"You can be very blunt with people because we're all here to learn from each other," he says. "You can speak what's on your mind. You learn to deal with people in different situations."

Much like the students themselves, YLJ facilitators come from a variety of professional backgrounds; police officers and lawyers discuss how the law is implemented and its various phases, while doctors and nurses elucidate health-care issues, both in the broader political theater and the patients' bedside.

But YLJ isn't all talk. In fact, a Salvation Army representative's dialogue on how cold weather affects donations and the organization's clients spurred Thomas and his YLJ peers to turns words into action.

"Me and the other four other people who go to JA that are in Youth Leadership, decided, well, OK, we'll do a shoe drive: It's easy, and it'll bring (the Salvation Army) a lot of money," he says.

Thomas says the area Salvation Army sends worn-out shoes to Texas where they are refurbished. The charity receives 50 cents a pound for the shoes, or if the shoes are in good enough condition, local Salvation Army stores sell them for anywhere from 75 cents to $2.

"We went back to the administration, and they approved it," he says. "We got a bunch of boxes, put them through the school and put fliers up. We were able to raise 8,200 pounds of shoes."

The collected shoes meant the Salvation Army would receive at least $4,100, but more importantly, it proved that high-school students, like those in YLJ, could make a meaningful impact in their community.

"We thought, ‘This was something we could do,'" Thomas says. "It was a lot of work, but it paid off in the end."

YLJ also emphasizes the importance of staying local: how living and working in Jackson and Mississippi can positively affect the economy and community. "That's part of our goal, too," Tucker says. "We try to retain these students."

"We feel like we lose our crop. You go out and select these students and then they go off to college, and you never see them again."

The students who graduated from YLJ last year underwent a rigorous selection process: submitting an essay on their concerns for the community and potential solutions; providing recommendation letters from their principal and teachers; and undergoing a group interview in which YLJ facilitators hand-picked discussion leaders and problem-solvers.

Students who graduate from the program gain the tools they need to be effective leaders. Whether they stay in Mississippi or move abroad, they will be equipped to act as valiant stewards of a state often cast as ignorant and bigoted, Tucker says.

"I see a real difference in our children," Tucker says. "A lot of our kids come in with a limited knowledge of other people who aren't like them. By the time they leave this program, they're a little bit more relaxed."

Youth Leadership Jackson
YLJ will solicit applications for the 2010-2011 program later this month after school begins, selecting about 40 participants in September. The first meeting is scheduled for November, and the group will meet once a month for six months.

To be eligible for the program, students must live in the Jackson metropolitan area, be high school sophomores or juniors, exhibit leadership skills and display an interest in improving the community. Participants must complete at least eight hours of community service during the program.

For additional information, go to http://www.metrochamber.com/chamber/youth_leadership.asp, or contact your school administrator or YLJ Director Shirley Tucker at 601-948-7575, ext. 270.