Daunte Davis and Alexander Karr of Lansing participated in the Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC) held July 30 through August 4, 2004 in Washington D.C. The Conference is a unique leadership development program for middle school students.

The theme of JrNYLC is The Legacy of American Leadership and its curriculum leads students through the evolution of the United States-from the days of the original thirteen colonies through the signing of the Declaration of Independence – from the Civil War through the Civil Rights Movement – and from the Boston Tea Party through the present.

“One of the key elements of the Junior National Young Leaders Conference is to allow students like Daunte Davis the opportunity to place their feet in the same footsteps of our country’s forefathers,” said Mike Lasday, executive director of the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, the organization that sponsors the Conference. “By actually walking the Halls of Congress this program provides faces and places to historic events, thereby eliminating much of the abstract nature of studying history solely through books.”

Davis and Karr participated in a reception on Capitol Hill, where students met with a variety of representatives from congressional offices. In addition to engagements on Capitol Hill, Davis and Karr visited Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia; the Smithsonian Institution’s American History Museum and participated in a sleep over at the Maryland Science Center.

The 7th grade Gardner Middle School student Davis, said the reason he got involved in at the conference because of future opportunities. “I can go to certain kinds of schools, have a part time job to get money, go to college and have a better life.” Dwight Rich student Karr enjoys the extracurricular activities and meeting people from outside his state. “I like to meet a lot of different people and learn things about our nation.”

CYLC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization. Founded in 1985, the Council is committed to fostering and inspiring young people to achieve their full leadership potential. More than 400 members of the U.S. Congress join this commitment by serving on the CYLC Honorary Congressional Board of Advisors. In addition, more than 40 embassies participate in the Council’s Honorary Board of Embassies. For additional information, visit www.cylc.org

Clifford Bailey is a Lansing Community College freshman and a participant in the Young Publishers Club sponsored by the Michigan Bulletin which meets at the Magic Johnson Foundation Creation Station located at the Black Child and Family Institute - 835 W. Genesee, Lansing MI.