FEATURED
I attend the Boys & Girls Club of the Columbia area, and this year I went to
the Keystone Conference in Chicago, Illinois. The Keystone Clubs provide
leadership development opportunities for young people ages 14 to 18.
Youth participate in activities in three focus areas: academic success, career
preparation, and community service. With the guidance of an adult advisor,
Keystone Clubs aim to have a positive impact on members, the Club, and
community. We went to a daycare and read books, went on a college tour
and had the Columbia Police Department come to our club to speak about
our rights. All of these things had to be completed in order for us to go to
the conference. This year was my first Keystone Conference; it was 3 full
days of classes, learning events, a gigantic game room, with new faces and
amazing people. We got to see music artists (current and upcoming art-
ists, actors, and dancers). We had daily, fun meetings where we saw Sevyn
Streeter and Common and also a professional skateboarder. In the games
room, we saw many fun things and fun people; there were big table top
games, dance and sports games, a driving simulator, giant wipe out, lazar tag,
and a lot of fitness challenges. On our free time, we went to restaurants and
shopping. The best part of the trip was when my friends and I tried out for
the talent show, and we made it!! We were able to perform in front of close
to 100 people for a chance to perform the next morning in front of all 2,500
people. We didn’t win, but we had fun anyway. I am going to continue to be a
part of the Keystone Club and hope that more people join, so our group can
as be as big as other clubs.
Unique, 13
May/June 2017
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