A Vehicle for Change

FROM OUR FOUNDER & CEO

Sitting down at this time of the year to write this address to you always provides a moment of personal and professional reflection for me as the leader of this great organization. In the following paragraphs, I’ll share with you the challenges we faced this past year and also the ways in which we are currently adapting to meet our community’s needs, demonstrating the resilience of our mission and the power of hope in action.

The year 2020 — where to begin? Last school year, Youth Frontiers was on track to serve more than 130,000 students, educators and community leaders. We were looking at another record-breaking year for mission impact in numbers and then …

The pandemic hit.

Economic upheaval impacted millions.

Racial tensions erupted.

The floodgates straining to hold back our nation’s partisan vitriol were thrown wide open as our election cycle rushed to its contentious conclusion.

We sat with our community in shock and pain and fear and confusion at the state of our nation, our world. We shut our office doors and put our retreat vans in park. We sat … and then we made the decision to stand.

With in-person programming unavailable, we moved our message online. We called students, educators and community members alike to character. We tried something new with a virtual annual event and brought together our largest audience ever — with the aim to spread hope as much as to raise support for our mission. And we got to work on new and innovative programming to meet the unique and urgent needs of the moment.

2020 will soon be in the rear-view mirror. There are so many lessons to be learned. What can hindsight teach us about the way forward? For Youth Frontiers, this tumultuous year has re-grounded and renewed us in our core mission and purpose — to impact the lives of students, educators and leaders with character and community. Out of chaos has come new opportunities.

I’ve said before that our character-based retreats prepare young people for the bumpy road of life. Youth Frontiers is also prepared to travel the uncertain road that lies before us — regardless of the ruts, fractures and Midwest-sized potholes that might hinder our journey.

As it did for so many other nonprofits, 2020 let some air out of our tires. But we know our programs are vehicles for positive change, and that knowledge is driving us to fulfill our mission and serve our community in three new ways this school year:

Our new Character Academy is preparing young adults for the road ahead. We just “graduated” our first cohort, and here’s what one participant, Stephanie, said she’ll take away from her experience: “Now that I’m armed with who I am and what I have to offer, I want to challenge myself to not only go for what I thought was possible but kind of go to the next step. Make those educated risks. Make those brave choices that I may not have made prior to being armed with this intelligence, this self-awareness.”

Our Engagement Series is supporting teachers in a difficult and stressful year. According to a recent survey by the National Education Association, 28 percent of educators said the coronavirus has made them more likely to leave teaching. We are working to disrupt that trend by helping educators practice perspective, curiosity and self-compassion.

Our Leadership Academy for 11th graders and Geometry of a Leader for adults are grounding leaders in character. By the end of 2020, we will have launched Leadership Academy and completed six Geometry of a Leader series. One participant said, “I recommend the Geometry of a Leader. The principles presented and explored can be applied in the life of any leader, in any context. Youth Frontiers leads the way in values-based leadership inquiry, and Geometry of a Leader is a continuation of their legacy of excellence.” Indeed, when asked, 100 percent of our fall participants agreed that the program helped them to become better leaders.

Not only does this new work allow us to serve our community in innovative ways this year, but it will also broaden and deepen our impact on the lives of students, educators and community leaders alike in the years to come.

With eyes trained on the future, Youth Frontiers is committed to keeping the lessons of 2020 close. Thank you for believing in our mission and helping us see our vision through. Together, we can ensure our next generation of leaders is grounded in character.