#yliclassof2023

[gdmli]

Opening Retreat as a Peer Mentor

By Payton Strobel (YLI ‘22), current Peer Mentor

The opening retreat is one of my favorite days of the whole year. It’s so exciting to break out of our normal mindsets and be introduced to the newest class of YLI students. 

As a peer mentor, I love to use the skills I learned during my year in YLI to facilitate and lead activities. I thought back to the peer mentors last year and how much fun they were, and I wanted to create the same inviting and fun space for growth. The leaders in this program care about teaching skills that can be used for our whole lives, no matter what leadership position we’re in. 

Our Opening Retreat was at Stowe Heights Challenge Course, which is an amazing opportunity to try things we’ve never done. It can be really hard to step out of your comfort zone, especially when you’re surrounded by strangers. But when we take the risk and experience something new, we can build stronger friendships and grow our comfort zones. 

I’m so excited to continue building friendships, learn new leadership skills, and be involved in this amazing program again this year!

[gdmli]

Opening Retreat, YLI Class of 2023

By Cade Littlefield, YLI Participant, senior at Waukee High School

Walking into the second opening retreat day at YLI, I was nervous yet excited for the day ahead. On the first day, I met some new friends and learned about the foundations of YLI including the five leadership practices: Model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. I also began to step out of my comfort zone and get more adventurous engaging in conversations with peers, peer mentors, and adult volunteers. Behind the excitement for the Opening Retreat, was my fear of heights, creeping through with the much anticipated high ropes course. But I chose to push that behind me and I came into the second day energized and ready to take on new challenges. 

Saturday morning in our small groups, we learned about the importance of communication and how to handle when a wrench or a rubber chicken is thrown into the situation. The activities focused on the chaotic nature of communication and other team-building activities. One of my big takeaways from these activities was how almost every scenario was tied back to one of the five leadership practices and how the five leadership practices are present in almost every scenario. That was an important lesson, because I suspect there will probably be many more moments of realization like this throughout the rest of my YLI journey. 

The next thing that I had to conquer during the second day of the retreat was the high ropes course, which I was very nervous about. Although I am a bit of a thrill seeker, I do not love the heights that the high ropes course had in store. As I got the equipment on, my heart began beating faster and faster, and I wondered if I would be able to overcome my previous fears of heights. Once I climbed to the top, I heard and received support from my peers, and I was able to really push myself outside of my comfort zone and surprise myself with how far I could go. 

The two days of the YLI retreat were really successful for my leadership journey. Learning about the five leadership practices and healthy communication is going to help me be a better leader in my community within and outside of YLI. I cannot wait for the rest of the year with this YLI family.