Post date: Jul 4, 2017 6:24:06 PM
Creating Affirming Moments for our Youth:
How LDCEI Can Empower Outlooks and Behaviors - A Personal Account
by Bobby Clark
To all the District Chapters and Brothers considering participating in this year’s Leadership Development Citizenship Education Institute, known as LDCEI, I would like to personally request you seek worthy students to attend the Leadership Development Institute which will be held June 21-25, 2017, on the campus of Savannah State University. We can encourage positive behaviors and skills in our youth with this institute. I know first-hand why this is such a great opportunity for students.
You see, more than 35 years ago, in the summer of 1982, I was one of those students who went to this institute, then called the "Student Leadership Development Academy," when it was held at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. Certainly, the experience introduced to me many of the skills I use today. However, what was more powerful than the techniques and tools I learned, was the confidence I felt as I participated with students from across the region in this program.
Back then, I was a nervous rising high school sophomore who was beginning to make plans for a life beyond college. Being luckier than most, I grew up on two college campuses and had parents and mentors who instilled in me the expectation that college was the right choice for me. Despite the obstacles I would face, I held steadfast to that core belief that I could achieve the goal of a college degree. In fact, I had many moments in my life that strengthened that core belief, but I firmly believe it only takes one moment of those to truly inspire someone to endure when their moment of adversity comes.
Today, I looked back on a note I wrote more than two years ago, that spoke of acknowledging the “affirming moments” we often experience in our lives. These moments are sometimes fleeting in nature, nevertheless they are often powerful reminders to our future potential. The moments where something you suspected is confirmed, almost anecdotally, in a way that assures you that it must be the rule and not the exception.
Knowing that you can do a thing is a powerful motivation. it is like having a reliable tool in your tool box. Having the confidence that your effort is enough to complete the task is reassuring, and I believe that confidence is a strong predictor of great performance. It seems confidence is a kind of knowledge that is a must for any successful person. That week in 1982 at Benedict college was filled with those moments for me and other students.
This year is a meaningful one for me in many ways as I mark some of the major landmarks, both in my life and in Alpha. I have realized, as all brothers should, that I have stood on the shoulders of tremendous achievers, mentors, sponsors, and leaders. Those people were locally and nationally, who have led, coached, inspired, and perhaps made selections on my behalf. Then, I didn’t understand how important those associations were to create my core belief, but now I know they are critical to surviving future challenges.
Again, I ask you, as Chapters and Brothers, to act to create more affirming moments for the deserving youth in your own community. As Alphas, our mission is to create these affirming opportunities for our youth. Our Leadership Development Citizenship Education Institute is a wonderful way to act in this vein and perhaps empower a future leader’s resolve.