Key Leader Registration Now Open

by Nicole McDermott

Key Leader is Kiwanis's values-centered, weekend leadership education program for high school students. In 2012, there will be THREE Key Leader weekends in our District:

#1 -- April 27-29
Arlington Echo Outdoor Educational Center
975 Indian Landing Road, Millersville, MD 21108

#2 -- May 18-20
Jamestown 4-H Educational Center
3751 4-H Club Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185

#3 -- November 9-11

Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center
600 4-H Center Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630

Key Leader events are open to any 9th-12th grade students (in or out of Key Club). Once again, our goal for each event will be 60 students plus an additional 8-10 student facilitators.

Registration is now open online at www.key-leader.org. Because our past events were so successful, we sold out and we look forward to repeated success in 2012, times three! Please make sure your students are registered as soon as possible so that no one gets shut out.

If Kiwanis Clubs have funding available, but have trouble identifying students, please contact Key Leader District Chair Nicole McDermott for help - capitalkeyleader@gmail.com or 703.829.5481.

It is $200/student (or $175/student if the student is a member of Key Club). For such a small amount of money, Kiwanis can truly make a difference in a young adult's life. Please plan to send at least one student to the event most geographically convenient to your club. Kiwanis Clubs are welcome to send students to more than one event if if it possible financially and students have been identified - we would love that!

Key Leader is a leadership education weekend for high school students focusing on the concept of service leadership and five principles: integrity, growth, respect, community and excellence. The weekend is casual and includes hands-on exercises; writing and reflection activities; cooperative, team activities; physical challenges and more. Students arrive between 4-6 p.m. on Friday and depart between 11 a.m.-12 noon on Sunday. All adult chaperones have undergone background checks, and the weekend is run by a professional facilitator who has successfully completed a training course on the curriculum and who brings experience working with young people.

If you are interested in serving on the Key Leader District Committee and helping to promote Key Leader around the District and in your own area, please contact District Chair Nicole McDermott (Kiwanis Club of Tysons Corner/McLean, Virginia) at capitalkeyleader@gmail.com or 703.829.5481. We are currently looking for representatives from the following regions particularly: Heart of Virginia, Presidential and Southwest Virginia. For more information about Key Leader, please visit www.youtube.com/CapitalKeyLeader and watch live student testimonials about the quality of the program. The students featured on our YouTube Channel are all local Capital District students. Also, search "Capital District Key Leader" on Facebook and like it or visit key-leader.org.