In an effort to help prepare area youth to become future leaders and responsible, caring citizens, Neighborhood House offers local students the opportunity to apply for a position on the Executive Youth Board (EYB). Neighborhood House, the private, non-profit agency dedicated to assisting community members during times of hardship, is currently in the process of accepting applications for their Junior Ambassador EYB Program. Each year, a Junior Ambassador who oversees an Executive Youth Board and Youth Committee represents Neighborhood House throughout the service area.
One Junior Ambassador will be appointed from the EYB to serve as the Board’s chairperson. Together, the Junior Ambassador and the EYB collaborate with the Neighborhood House Executive Director and staff in an effort to gain experience in areas of leadership, civic responsibility, community service, public speaking, fundraising, marketing, and fund development. The Junior Ambassador and the EYB are responsible for leading the Neighborhood House Youth Committee.
Youth Leadership Opportunity from Rochester Area Neighborhood House
This year’s Junior Ambassador, Andrew Smith, and the EYB coordinated and hosted several events, raised several thousand dollars in donations, and lined up volunteers on a weekly basis to work in the Clothes Closet and at various events.
The Neighborhood House and its Junior Ambassador program have been offering youth leadership opportunities since 2008. The current 6-member JA/EYB met each other for the first time in August of 2016, and a month later, they pulled off their first function – a bowling fundraiser including a raffle for which they worked together to solicit and acquire many exciting donations.
Each of the current members credits their experience on the EYB with real world learning that they wouldn’t have gained without having served on the board. Looking back on the year and recalling a turnout for their first event that didn’t quite live up to their expectations, Adams High School’s EYB member, Allie Hayen, says “we learned a lot about the process of raising money during our bowling fundraiser, which didn’t turn out as we had hoped. The raffle that we had at this event, however, turned out to be quite successful. Since then, we have learned from our mistakes and gotten better at word-of-mouth advertising and utilizing social media.”
Junior Elizabeth Krencicki, Notre Dame Prep’s representative, points to the success of their most recent fundraiser held at Chipotle last month and says she’s “so happy that this turned out to be such a success. It shows how great we work together as a group and have grown throughout the year.”
Six students who met on an August afternoon at Penn Station now have a shared history of growing their skills and experience together. Stoney Creek Senior, Madison Murphy, appreciates this fact and says she has formed “great friendships. Each person on the board is unique. Everyone is involved in so many different things. I was happy I got to meet and develop these friendships.” She credits this group with motivating her in both the work they do for Neighborhood House, and in learning, to better manage her time.
High School Junior, McKenna Reynolds, representing Oakland Christian School on the EYB echoes the other members’ sentiments toward their experience on the EYB and says because of her “involvement with the Neighborhood House Executive Youth Board, I have been able to grow my communications skills, community networking, and leadership ability within the community.”
The Junior Ambassador and Executive Youth Board members are eligible to apply for performance-based scholarships up to $1500. Andrew Smith, the current Junior Ambassador who previously served as an EYB member, was grateful to receive the scholarship last year. “I used it as an opportunity to take a Cellular Biology course at Oakland University over the summer. I had always been obsessed with Biology in high school, but I could never take a course that truly covered the material in which I am interested. The scholarship granted me the opportunity to explore my career. After taking the class, I am sure that cellular and molecular biology is the field I want to pursue in my life.”
Neighborhood House is seeking high school students in the greater Rochester community who are willing to serve a one-year term on the next Executive Youth Board. All positions offer students the opportunity to gain effective communication skills and experience, increase marketability for college preparation and future employment opportunities, pursue professional employment opportunities that require leadership skills and experience, and obtain the skill development necessary to work in a leadership role.
Application packets are available on the Neighborhood House website www.ranh.org, or at the Neighborhood House main office at 1720 S. Livernois in Rochester Hills. Applications will be accepted through May 5, 2017.
Rochester Area Neighborhood House is a private, non-profit human service organization that was founded by communities of faith in 1968. Neighborhood House has grown over the years and currently services any qualifying families in need from Auburn Hills, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Oakland Township and Addison Township.
The agency mission is to assist our neighbors during times of hardship, collaborating with the community and other social service providers to help struggling individuals and families move toward self-sufficiency. Neighborhood House works from a holistic model providing emergency financial assistance, counseling, job coaching, budget assistance, transportation, food assistance, clothing assistance and more to families in our service area. The community is invited to call 248-651-5836 to receive more information about the Junior Ambassador Program or other programs provided by Neighborhood House.
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