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blog
Supporting Young Leaders in Building a Kinder World: Riley’s Way at the READ Alliance YOUth Summit
By Mariah Molina and Isabella Ortiz
On August 9th 2024, Riley’s Way was welcomed back to the Read Alliance YOUth Summit at Hunter College. READ Alliance is a non profit organization that works to accelerate the educational trajectory of early elementary students through the power of teens who provide one-to-one literacy tutoring in under-resourced communities. It is a very special program because it not only helps boost young children’s reading skills, but also pays the tutors they employ, allowing many young students the opportunity to gain job experience. READ Alliance is a longtime partner of Riley’s Way and continues to do inspiring work and make the world a kinder place.
Our mission here at Riley’s Way is to promote kindness, empathy, and support the next generation of kind leaders, whether it’s with our Chapters and Councils that exist within our schools and communities or events like the YOUth Summit. The YOuth Summit has given us an opportunity to get closer to young adults who are passionate about making a difference in this world and incorporating Riley’s Way values within the process.
Now let’s get into our day at the YOUth Summit!
Before arriving for the masterclass, Lauren Shenkman (Director of Programs and Partnerships), Thais Salas (Councils and Chapters Program Coordinator), and Nicole Maria Mateo (Mentorship and Alumni Intern) all had the opportunity to interact with others and speak about what Riley’s Way is.
After settling in, we got ready to start our masterclass by setting up the room to allow students to have enough space to interact with each other during our activities. We then began inviting people into the masterclass and started with introductions of who we are and what Riley’s Way represents to get the room going. Typically, Riley’s Way’s Chapters and Councils begin every meeting with an icebreaker question meant to set the tone for the meeting and initiate group bonding and discussion. As the masterclass began, we led a Riley’s Way-style icebreaker, where we challenged attendees to use our prompts and speak to at least three new people, which allowed people to be engaged and comfortable early on. Some important highlights from the presentation were how each Riley’s Way member went in depth about our mission to spread empathy and kindness as well as our own personal experiences with Riley’s Way.
Then we explained new ways for the class to get involved with Riley’s Way, whether that was through Call For Kindness as a participant or a judge, the Youth Leadership Retreat taking place this upcoming September, or starting a own Chapter at your school.
To wrap the presentation up, we ended with another activity called an empathetic interview. Rather than having a conversation or a more traditional interview, an empathetic interview is meant to practice your ability to listen to understand rather than listen to respond, which is a perfect example of Riley’s Way’s mission of being empathic, kind, and supportive. Instead of adding your own experiences to the conversation or making assumptions based on the conversation, the empathetic interview is a way to let people fully explain their thoughts and provides an opportunity to understand others exactly as they want to be understood. Seeing as it was our first time doing an empathic interview, we had the opportunity to not only be guides in this activity as Council members, but also participants in this new activity.
This masterclass as a whole was a place where those involved in Riley’s Way could use their experience to show students new ways to be kind, understanding, empathetic, and supportive through helping their own community and listening to the stories of others they wouldn’t have otherwise known about.
Just after the masterclass, we interviewed a group of three students who had been involved with Riley’s Way and are 2024 Call for Kindness Fellows to hear how their views of Riley’s Way were developed or even changed by the class. When asking how some of them got involved with Riley’s Way, one student mentioned she had signed up for the Youth Leadership Retreat and learned there about Call for Kindness and how young people can receive advice and funding from Riley’s Way to support their own non-profits. She also learned that Riley’s Way helps young people ages 13 to 23 to make an impact through programs such as Call for Kindness. She said, “I’m just as capable as them [other people in her age group] to make my own non-profit and make a change in my community.”
As we concluded the masterclass, we had the opportunity to continue discussing Riley’s Way with those who weren’t able to attend. The Opportunity Hub is the portion of the Summit where attendees are able to go around different tables to learn about the organizations present at the event. People were not only able to learn more about Riley’s Way, but also about other programs they might be interested in joining.
There was a lively and welcoming atmosphere at the Opportunity Hub, filled with enthusiastic conversations and networking opportunities. There was a sense of community and collaboration among the attendees as they eagerly shared their experiences and ideas. The energy in the room was palpable, as everyone was keen to explore new possibilities and make meaningful connections. Our Riley’s Way table was super packed, which brought a smile to our faces. People that might have never heard of something like this were awed by the work that our organization does and continues to do. We saw a lot of people genuinely interested and some that actually are considering joining! Thanks to this event, we were able to spread the word about what we do and what drives us to continue spreading our message.
It was truly a pleasure to be a part of such a beautiful event! We loved having the opportunity to spread our love for Riley’s Way and to make such a beautiful memory.
Thank you so much to READ Alliance for having us again!