This Governor’s Institute of Vermont GIV 2019’s Backpack Journalism story researched and produced by Ethan Schmitt and Ari Randall.

STORY HERE.

Pictured: Ken Teaching the class. (credit: Ari Randall)

The organization GIV (Governor’s Institutes of Vermont) hosts summer and winter strands inviting students from around Vermont to participate in different subject matters catering to their interests. Winter Weekends serve to allow students to dip their toes into GIV, while the summer institute provides the opportunity for students to delve deeper. Throughout the first Winter Weekend in 2019, which took place between February 8 and February 10, we witnessed the evolution of 5 strands–Directing Theatre, Microcontrollers, Youth Leadership, Biological Illustration, and Backpack Journalism. Today we will provide a glimpse into the Youth Leadership strand, and how the student participation in this strand and the mentor who teaches it has set up a unique opportunity for leaders to learn from each other and develop the necessary traits for facilitation.

Pictured: Ken talks with Peyton Jenkins during a discussion on birth order (credit: Ari Randall)

Outside of basic leadership training, the Youth Leadership strand, led by the School of International Training Dean Ken Williams, encouraged all students to chime in on issues such as racial and gender stereotypes, as well as elaborating on what it means to be a leader, discussing ethical vs logical tactics of leadership, listing the modes of facilitation in public places, and breaking out of their comfort zones by sampling a crazy concoction assembled with random ingredients. These conversations, experiments, and dialogues amounted to a once-of-a-lifetime learning experience for many of these young leaders. The skills gained here at GIV are applicable to any job in the workforce, giving these students a creative advantage as the leaders of tomorrow.

Pictured: one student encourages another to taste the concoction (credit: Ari Randall)

Among the specific questions posed to students at the leadership strand include polarizing questions about the specific stereotypes often used to describe people of various genders, ethnicity, race, religion, etc. After listening to several student leaders talk about the horrible stereotypes they’ve seen people use, Ken Williams took hold of the discussion, condensing the shared sentiments among his audience into one necessary social norm. Ken told the students to “[not] make statements unless [they] have the evidence to support it” and to focus on a “deep analysis” of the issues rather than choosing to assume things about people who identify with a certain group.

Ken teaches the class (credit: Ethan Schmitt)

Another common topic of discussion raised by a myriad of students pertained to the charisma required for a leader. One student, Jackson Ray (Big Dawg) asked the question “How do you lead in a group who doesn’t want you to lead?” Ken provided a simple answer, instructing students to “Minimize weaknesses and increase strengths. Know your group. Become self aware. Become likable. It is better to not always raise your hand first in a classroom because people will resent you for it. Be disciplined enough to hear other people and what they have to say, and incorporate it into the discussion.” Ken’s emphasis on the importance of composure as a leader and the ability to listen reframed the discussion and put the complex issue of what it means to be a leader into simple terms.

Pictured: students discuss the effects of birth order (credit: Ethan Schmitt)

Ken Williams and the Governor’s Institutes program are working to prepare vermont’s youth for their future in the world. The next generation is preparing themselves to inherit the world, and this institute more than adequately helps them grow into their future roles as leaders. As GIV teacher Ken said, “we cannot wait for the future to prepare the next generation of leaders, we have to start teaching them now.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: No political views, decentralist or otherwise, were shared over the course of the GIV weekend. Our GIV workshop focused on critical media literacy education, the political economy of news media in the digital age, and multimedia mobile news production.