On Earth Day, April 22, a very special group of youth convened in Fresno to participate in WildLink's first annual Youth Leadership Summit. Students came from both Merced Union High School District's Gear Up program and Madera High School. They were joined by volunteer facilitators from Kingsburg, Turlock, Madera, Fresno and Los Angeles.Our theme was "Be the change you want to see in the world". And after spending the day with these youth, I feel good about the world to come, as long as it rests in their capable hands.

The event was held on the beautiful grounds of the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust's Coke Hallowell Center for River Studies. We spent the first part of the day playing the Community Change game, which was especially designed for this event. The game simulated the real-life experience of acting as an agent of change in your community. By the end of the game, students had the tools they needed to get started in the process of effectively addressing issues in their own schools and communities, and getting others to engage with those issues.

When asked what she had learned from this experience, one participant said, "I learned that you can't just assume things (about people). If something doesn't seem to be progressing, it may not necessarily be a bad thing. it might actually be progressing in the long run. This experience gave me a different perspective of how to deal with life and people."

We spent the second part of the day in extensive group discussion of local environmental and social issues each group was facing in their communities. The Madera group chose to focus on problems they were encountering in implementing an effective recycling program in their high school. The Merced group spent their time discussing a controversial public lands use issue currently under discussion in their county. In the end, both groups came together to share the outcomes of their discussions and provide feedback to one another about their solutions.

It was a day full of learning and new connections, both to new ideas and each other. A great big thanks to all of our particpating students and facilitators; the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust; Terry McLaughlin for her excellent curriculum development contributions; and the Yosemite Institute for sponsoring this event.

We hope to see more of you next year!