Learning leadership skills: Worland students attend youth conference in D.C
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Worland High School Juniors (l-r) Kaydence Mosley, Shaelynn Whitlock, Isabel Accurso and Jace Erickson pose in front of Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis' office at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington D.C on Jan. 31.
Four Worland High School students had the opportunity to attend the CADCA Youth Leadership Program in Washington, D.C. earlier this year.
The opportunity was extended by the Washakie Prevention Committee, who invited members of the W Club to submit an application as well as an essay describing why they wanted to go.
Worland High School juniors Kaydence Mosley, Shaelynn Whitlock, Isabel Accurso and Jace Erickson were selected, and all of their travel expenses were paid for by the Drug Free Communities grant, courtesy of Washakie Prevention Coalition.
The CADCA Youth Leadership Program is a workshop-based conference where students representing every state and some foreign countries listened to and spoke about topics of community improvement. Notably, Worland students were the only student representatives from Wyoming at the conference.
Accurso said about the conference, "Meeting people was really fun. When we were in workshops, we had time to talk with other kids and share ideas." Mosley added, "It was interesting seeing other peoples' perspectives on things." She added, "It was cool because we got to meet people with the same goals, and we were able to share ideas and learn things that we took back with us to Worland."
On workshop topics, Mosley said, "I went to one workshop based around harm reduction. The goal there isn't to get rid of drugs, but to reduce negative impacts felt by affected communities, and I thought that was interesting."
Whitlock added that she participated in a workshop about the impacts of social media on the teenage brain, saying how astonished she was at the consequences it can have.
Accurso said, "One thing I learned at a workshop is the practice of storing guns disassembled and keeping the pieces separated. This adds multiple steps for a child to get in control of the weapon, and acts as a deterrent."
Aside from business, the Worland students got to do a good amount of sightseeing while visiting D.C., too.
They visited Capitol Hill and met with U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyoming) and U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), and were given a private tour of the Capitol building.
They visited many historic sights, including the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Cemetery and Ford Theatre, where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
They also got to visit the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum as well as the Holocaust Museum.
Erickson said that they got to try lots of new food, and named South African cuisine as one of the more interesting foods they tried.
"I think it was such an amazing experience; I'm glad that we had the opportunity," Accurso said.
