The Heart of the Youth Leadership Conference
The Maine Youth Leadership Conference would not be possible without the dedication of the youth leadership team! The Team is a group of high-school aged people from across the state of Maine who work alongside MYAN staff to envision and run the conference. We rely on these leaders to create a rich atmosphere of youth leadership, connection, and change-making!
This year, we’re looking for two teams of young people to bring their diverse experiences, expertise and creativity to the table: a Youth Ambassador team, responsible for the hosting, planning and design of the conference content and a Youth Facilitator team, responsible for designing and leading conversations and creating connections throughout the conference around topics young people care about. Learn more below!
Both of these opportunities are paid, and for your work with either of these teams you will be compensated with a stipend of $400, paid in 3 increments.
What will you do as a member of the Leadership Team?
Cultivate your own unique leadership style and understanding of change-making!
Through individual and collective reflection, you will get curious about these questions: What does it mean to be a leader? How does leadership ‘show up’ in your community? What does it take to make change and what is your role in change-making?
Learn how to lead and facilitate activities alongside your teammates!
Through team-building activities, dialogue, reflection and practice, you will learn how to guide groups and individuals. From icebreakers to discussions on important topics, you will build the skills to facilitate these activities.
Host the Youth Leadership Conference!
As the Leadership Team, you will host the Youth Leadership Conference in November. This will be an opportunity to flex those facilitation and leadership skills, kicking off the event on a high-note and engaging in deeper dialogues during the conference.
Meet new people!
You’ll be part of a team with peers from across the entire state of Maine! This is a unique opportunity to meet other young people who are passionate about changing-making and elevating the voices of peers.
Youth Leadership Roles
Download a flyer to share with (other) young people in your community!
Youth Ambassadors:
Youth ambassadors are the event planners of this conference! Selection of workshop presenters, planning of evening community events and t-shirt design will all be decided and planned by the youth ambassador team. In addition to the design of the conference content, the youth ambassador team will also be responsible for hosting the two-day event- welcoming attendees to the conference, keeping the energy up and guiding peers through the events of each day. This is an opportunity to design an event that brings youth across the state together to connect over shared interests and passions and re-imagine a future that young people want to see. Through your work with this team, you will engage in a process of design, collaboration and creativity to create a space for your peers to connect about the issues they care about and most of all, have fun!
Youth Facilitators:
Youth facilitators will be in charge of facilitating a “pod,” which is a group of approximately 10 conference attendees, throughout the two-day conference. Groups will meet at multiple points throughout the day to hold conversations and debriefs around topics that come up during the workshops and presentations, and you will help to lead and facilitate these conversations. The facilitation team will co-design the discussion topics and facilitation plans with MYAN staff. To prepare for this role, we will meet as a group weekly (youth leaders + 2 MYAN staff members) to build relationships, refresh our facilitation skills, and offer ideas around the overall conference vision. Through collaborative exercises and activities, you will have the opportunity to cultivate your own unique leadership style and understanding of what it means to make positive change in your community with the support of peers.
Time Commitment:
- September 20 – November 9: Meet one night per week on Zoom for one hour.
- The youth ambassador team will meet 4:00-5:00pm on Wednesdays.
- The youth facilitator team will meet 4:00-5:00pm on Tuesdays.
- October 14-16: Weekend retreat at University of Maine.
- Late October: 1-hour virtual meet & greet with your conference pod [facilitators only]
- November 3 & 4: The conference at UMaine! We will ask for your leadership for the entire conference on these two days.
