Leaders in Life Youth Leadership Conference, March 10

Leaders in Life (LIL) is pleased to announce that its 22nd annual conference will be held on March 10 at the Mechanics Bank Convention Center.

Two separate sessions will be held, one from 8:30 to 11 a.m. and another from noon to 2:30 p.m. The conference is planned for teens by teens and has impacted thousands of young lives over the past two decades.

The purpose of this event is to give local youth a positive environment to discuss and evaluate issues they face daily. These issues will be addressed in workshop sessions throughout the day by adult and youth facilitators with expertise in each topic of discussion. Sample topics include youth leadership, college and career information, relationships, self-esteem, stress management and diversity issues.

Planning the Leaders in Life Conference this year has been no easy task. With COVID-19 cases on the rise in recent months, Leaders in Life has adapted and overcome a new set of challenges to provide a conference for the students of Kern County. After having to hold last year’s event online, this year’s conference has been changed to dual sessions to ensure the safety and security of attendees and continue educating those onto the right path and better future.

This year, Leaders in Life welcomes Jesse Funk as the morning speaker. Jesse Funk is a singer who uses her voice to speak on mental health, resilience and social and emotional learning. She often participates in events, such as our conference, to inspire others, like our own Leaders In Life members.

Dr. John Gaines, the afternoon speaker, helps inform teens about addictions, the power it may hold on them, and the many ways it impacts their life. These amazing people are joining us to help form an encouraging influence toward students who want to make something special out of their lives.

During the dual sessions, there will be two workshop periods with 12 options to choose from. These options will repeat for the afternoon session. Following the two workshop sessions, time will be provided for the resource fair, before departure where food will be offered.

The Leaders in Life Conference is open to all of Kern County and surrounding counties. To attend this year’s conference, participants must be registered through their school or organization. Payment must be received prior to registering for this event. School and community organization personnel should contact Alicia Mil, (661) 636-4573 for registration information.

For more information, please visit the event website at http://www.leadersinlife.org.

Leaders in Life background:

In 1998, Morgan Clayton, a Kern County businessman and community leader, attended the Bakersfield Business Conference, an annual conference with nationally and internationally recognized speakers for adults on business and political issues that affect our world. He had the visionary idea of founding a local youth conference planned by young people to give them a voice and to provide a forum in which to discuss issues that impact teens. He contacted the Kern County Network for Children and the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office to help organize students around this concept. Planning for the first Leaders in Life Youth Conference began in 1999 with about 50 students and adults. In February 2000, the first conference was held with approximately 500 students in attendance.