Symposium hones teen leadership skills
Nearly 300 ninth-graders, accompanied by 50 adult chaperones from 19 Fox Valley-area high schools, worked on improving their leadership skills at Teen Symposium 2017, a day-long leadership conference at the Radisson Paper Valley hotel on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
The event was presented by United Way Fox Cities. The Community Foundation is one of the sponsors, having awarded a $2,500 Community Education grant to help pay for keynote speaker EJ Carrion, who bills himself as a student success expert.
The themes for the day were kindness and inclusion. The teens also took part in a volunteer agency fair, “feedback walls” and a card-writing service project communicating with hospitalized children, teens in foster care, and service men and women.
The symposium also is a chance to network and learn the perspectives of students and staff from other schools.
Additional help coordinating the event was provided by the Volunteer Center of East Central WI and the Teen Symposium Planning Committee.
Mandi 
This is an exciting and forward thinking event! How were the students chosen to attend? Should there be a second event like this, Bemis Foundation would be interested in helping to sponsor it.
Thank you for offering this opportunity to youth. So helpful for building our community.