Youth leaders gathering for conference
Thursday, November 05, 2009A group of more than 100 student leaders will convene at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College today for the first-ever Orangeburg County Youth Council Leadership Seminar.
The Orangeburg County Youth Council is a group of 11th graders from the county’s public and private schools that are coming together to learn about leadership and what they can do to make Orangeburg County a better place to work and live.
The OCYC is the brainchild of Orangeburg Preparatory School 11th grader Alex Watford, who came up with the idea for the seminar after attending the Emerging Public Leaders Program at Furman University’s Riley Institute.
“The program tasked each of the 12 students who attended with starting a year-long community project,” Watford said. “I had always felt that there was a need for the youth in Orangeburg to become more involved in the community, but I never followed through with any of my ideas.
“This program at Furman gave me an opportunity and the motivation to pursue creating a youth council for Orangeburg.”
Watford organized a Youth Leadership Committee, which helped him plan this inaugural event. It is made up of Watford; Candace Maynard of Orangeburg-Wilkinson; Jordan Huffstetler of OPS; Alexus Tullock of Bethune-Bowman High; Jonathan Harley of North High; Brandi Vaughn of Lake Marion High; Kaitlyn Holbrook of OPS; Tabitha Jackson of Bethune-Bowman; Mia Ulmer of Orangeburg-Wilkinson; Dallas Gleaton of North; Shante Sumpter of Lake Marion; and Jessica Ziegler and Rashanda Berry of Branchville High.
Friday’s seminar will feature keynote speakers like Bill Connor, author and candidate for lieutenant governor; legendary college football coach Willie Jeffries and S.C. Rep. Anton Gunn. Speakers for the breakout sessions include Claflin University Assistant Vice President for Communications Vivian Glover, radio and television personality Curtis Wilson, Deputy County Administrator Harold Young and Hakeem Bonaparte of Claflin University.
The group plans to hold other activities in the future.
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