In November, a group of twelve visitors from Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, and Saudi Arabia arrived in Pensacola as part of an U.S. State Department International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project titled Young Leaders RISE (Renew, Inspire, Serve, and Empower). The goals of the project included examining leadership strategies, looking at community service in America, and discovering the role of public-private partnerships in the United States.
As part of their introduction to the region, Pensacola City Council Executive Don Kraher gave an overview of the city’s history and highlighted the functions of city government in the Council Chambers. He also presented the international visitors with certificates of honorary citizenship with the city.
To focus on youth leadership strategies, the group spent time with the students and faculty of Northview High School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) and FFA Sponsor Perry Byars. Discussion focused on youth leadership development addressing diverse social and economic needs. FFA is a national organization committed to providing support for students to realize their personal leadership and career goals through agricultural education. Although FFA was initially focused on farming, the organization today has a much broader scope, including empowerment strategies for youth business ownership, political participation, and community participation.
Next, the group met with Jenny Hamilton (Assistant Director, Governance and Leadership, Student Involvement, University of West Florida) along with student and faculty representatives of the university’s Student Government Association (SGA). Discussion here focused on how the student organization manages the decision-making process and students shared the issues the SGA is currently addressing.
Eric Pickett of Students Taking Responsibility in Developing Excellence (STRIDE) also met with the visitors. At this meeting, the group learned how STRIDE, a local nonprofit, uses mentoring as a strategy in promoting leadership qualities in at‑risk fourth and fifth grade male students. This appointment also underscored the role of civic responsibility and volunteerism in the United States.
During the group’s community service activity with Environmental Specialist Zachary Schang of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FLDEP), the group learned how the FLDEP uses living shorelines as a learning tool for the community and how the FLDEP partners with area restaurants in its collection of oyster shells for restoration projects. They then join FLDEP team members in a volunteer activity which is part of a broader effort maintaining healthy shorelines in the region.
For their last appointment, the group spent time in a classroom at Pace High School with the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!), a program taking students through the process of starting and running real businesses over the course of a full academic year. Instructor Celeste Sessions and Director of Workforce Education Carlin Knight gave an overview of the structure of the program while students presented their goals and answered the visitors’ questions about their plans.
Through a careful balance of professional meetings, classroom discussions, and site visits, this November group received a thorough overview of the leadership strategies, public-private partnerships, and volunteer efforts present in the community. Renewing, inspiring, serving, and empowering is taking place right here northwest Florida, and we thank everyone who participated in this project to share their work with the RISE visitors!
