Registration is Full. Please check back in 2010

Monday, May 4, 2009
8:30am-1:30pm
Wesley College
Dover, Delaware

For more information, or to receive registration materials, please contact:
Pam Weiss
YMCA Resource Center of Delaware
(302) 571-6975, ext. 105
pweiss@ymcade.org

What is B.L.A.S.T.?
B.L.A.S.T. (Building Leaders and Serving Teens) is an annual leadership conference for Delaware middle and high school students. Participants will have a chance to interact with other youth leaders and participate in funshops (descriptions listed on the next page) that will help teens become better leaders for their clubs, schools, and communities! This year’s theme, CHANGE- Now It’s Your Turn, will encourage participants to find ways to share their leadership skills and make positive changes in their own lives, their schools, and their communities.

Who should attend?
You should attend! As well as Peer Leaders, Peer Mediators, JROTC, school and community clubs, student council members, athletic teams, teen groups, and any youth in grades 6-12 who want to have a B.L.A.S.T.! (One advisor per fifteen youth required.)

Cost/Registration:
The registration is $10 per student and $10 per advisor, which includes lunch and a parting gift. Registration materials are also available online at:

2009 B.L.A.S.T.
Funshop Descriptions

A. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind- This personal development funshop will allow youth to be actively involved in retooling themselves for success. They will be introduced to winning philosophies and daily activities that produce successful athletes, business persons, and leaders. Students will work in groups to apply these concepts toward personal success. Facilitator: K. El-Shabazz

B. Can’t We All Just Get Along? Youth will discuss the various interpersonal relationships in their lives: family, social, peer, and dating relationships. Students will learn about setting and maintaining positive boundaries, explore positive and rewarding friendships, and will participate in a game show to examine healthy dating relationships and signs of teen dating abuse. Facilitator: Nikki Mowbray

C. Appreciating Differences- Diversity! This interactive funshop will help students explore diversity in all aspects of their lives- school, clothing, culture, language and the media. Students will participate in activities to discover the pitfalls and potentials of diversity. Facilitator: Brenda Overton

D. Empowering You, Empowering Me, Empowering Us- The goal of this funshop is to empower and encourage youth through education to become a believer in positive change. Youth-led discussions centered on pressing teenage issues will show participants how to begin the process of applying change within themselves, their schools, and their community. Facilitator: Nicole Conte

E. Let’s Play… Who Wants to Be Addicted- Are you tired of playing follow the leader, especially when the leader uses alcohol, tobacco or other drugs? This interactive workshop full of fun games will provide students an opportunity to learn about the consequences of alcohol and other drugs. Students will have the chance to role play and participate in a variety of different activities while learning how to stand up for themselves and just say no! Facilitator: Kathy Ward

F. Hip-Hop Roundtable- This roundtable will focus on how music’s most popular genre influences our young people. Along with a panel from the hip-hop industry, students will discuss the lyrics, images and hype surrounding the art form of hip-hop. Facilitator: Miles Dean

G. iChange- Have you ever wanted to make a specific personal change in your life, but didn’t know where to start? In this funshop, students will learn “hands-on” tools to begin to make that change today. Facilitators: Beth Benson and Carol Muller

H. Public Speaking: You and Your Audience- Did you know that more people fear public speaking than death? Here’s a session to help you get a handle on public speaking jitters and improve your speaking skills in a variety of settings! Facilitators: Jeremy Korne, Alecia Kelly, Jason Lloyd

Advisor Funshop – During the first session, adult advisors will have a chance to interact and network with other youth advisors in their own funshop. For the second session, advisors will have the opportunity to observe a student funshop. Advisors will be automatically registered for the Advisor Funshop and can choose their second funshop to observe on the day of the conference. Facilitator: Jimia Redden