Construct Lowell Area Youth (CLAY) hosted their first event in which teens were given the opportunity to participate in a business seminar structured summit. Additional events will be forthcoming. Be sure to “like” the CLAY Facebook page to keep up to date on events and information.
The evening kicked off with Bonnie Lent-Davis welcoming students and speakers. The Teen Summit’s theme was “Taking Charge”.
Keynote speaker Joe Martino is a counselor with a focus on relationships. He spoke of discovery, ownership, priorities, and persistence and how these words give students the power to take charge. He also emphasized accountability saying, “You are responsible for your life.”
After a brief break students attended a break out session. One of the four selections was Making the Most of Your High School Experience. Teacher and administrator of Unity High School Sue Sweet and Ninjas on the Move founder Drew Struckmeyer led the session. Academic, social, and extra curricular activities were the talking points. Continuing the “Taking Charge” theme they discussed how students can benefit from these three aspects of high school and be their own advocate for success.
Phil Struckmeyer led another of the break out sessions, Discovering Your Talents and Traits. He has a passion for helping others find their own passion(s) in life. Through discovery of what makes an individual come alive he or she can find purpose. A series of questions allowed participants were able to focus on an issue, group of people, and location when it comes to defining their personal passion.
Finally, a panel of four answered questions led by moderator Jon Bell. Dawn Broene the Executive Director at Flat River Outreach Ministries, Sterling Massey owner of a State Farm location in Kentwood, Josh McCracken a realtor with Greenridge Realty, and Kasey Delinsky an HR representative with Amway shared their experiences looking back to when they were in high school. Their ambitions in high school turned out to be different from where they are today. However, through positive and negative situations they were all able discover goals are a moving target throughout life.
Jon Bell closed the summit by sharing some experiences on how to take charge. The hope of CLAY is that participants and speakers left feeling knowledge was gained and shared. Future events will continue to give community teens the tools they need to succeed in life.
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