High school juniors from Ector County ISD will be taking part in the Odessa Chamber of Commerce’s Junior Leadership Program starting Saturday with a retreat that begins at 8:45 a.m. at Odessa Regional Medical Center.
This will be the 34th year for the junior leadership program.
This will be the 44th year of the adult leadership program. Both had to take a year off due to COVID.
“We got a very generous grant from the Permian Basin Area Foundation, not only for our leadership program but for our junior leadership program to help with the program itself,” Chamber President and CEO Renee Earls said.
Twenty-three people enrolled this year, Operations Specialist Carla Hartwig said.
Earls said that is a lower number than previous years before COVID. Last year they had 20 students.
Youngsters from charter and private schools and those outside of Odessa are invited, but few have taken up the option.
“We’re rebuilding that program (junior leadership). We talk about how students are so busy and they have so much going on. … The retreat is required and if … you’re not available on that Saturday, that makes it hard. But these 23 students will have a great program and they’ll get to experience some really incredible parts of Odessa that most citizens don’t get to experience,” Earls said.
Hartwig said they will have sessions on medical and social services; government and public safety; arts and culture; and media and education.
The adult leadership class plans the sessions for the junior leadership class. The junior leadership retreat is from 8:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. at ORMC.
“They’re getting behind the scenes of each one of those entities (and) getting to talk to people that they never would in their everyday life,” Hartwig said.
Earls said the sessions could spark an interest in the students for a certain career or to volunteer in that field.
“We have had an instance for that, we did a tour at CBS 7 one year and one of the kiddos ended up becoming a news reporter in San Antonio because of what he saw at CBS 7,” Hartwig said. “It’s a great program. Like Renee says, it just really opens their eyes to what is here and what is available to them.”
The program is meant to promote awareness of Odessa’s history, resources and potential and is designed to motivate and develop Odessa’s future leaders, information from the Chamber detailed. It also introduces high school juniors to community leaders of business and government in Odessa.
Normally, they just offer junior leadership to ECISD, but if a student applies they don’t have to be from the district.
This year, Earls said the program was promoted to Compass Academy Charter School, First Odessa Christian School, Holy Cross and Trinity School in Midland.
Hartwig said in-person visits are probably best to talk about the program and explain what it is.
After the retreat, there are four weekly sessions followed by a graduation ceremony Feb. 23.
“It’s a nice event. It’s a nice dinner with a keynote speaker. We invite their parents, ECISD officials and they get a really nice plaque,” Hartwig said.
Earls added that they can get “great prizes.”
“It’s a really great program. My son did it when he was a junior and he really enjoyed it,” she added.
Hartwig’s children also participated.
Earls said the sessions promote friendships between people from different schools that they might never have experienced.
“They communicate with adults, because we have the leadership program participants come to the sessions and so they’re working with a group of adults. They’re meeting these adults in various businesses, so again, they get acquainted with a banker, or they get acquainted with an employee in nonprofit. They find out about the four different aspects that they cover throughout the month. I think there’s a lot of benefits. They find out about potential careers. They network with their fellow students. They get to have one-on-ones with these adults in various careers and leadership positions here in town,” Earls said.
She added that a lot of times when the student starts the program, they say their parents or their teacher made them go to it.
“But at the end of it they’re like, I’m so glad I came to this,” Earls said.
“And it’s over already,” Hartwig added.
Earls said the adult leadership class is almost the same way, but by the conclusion they think it’s the greatest thing.
“It’s just the peer connection, like Renee said. They’re meeting that OHS-Permian rivalry. They’re making connections at the other school, making friends that could be lifelong friends,” Hartwig said.
Earls said it also helps bring participants out of their shells.
“Sometimes some of them are not very outgoing, or they’re a little bit shy. There’s a lot of teamwork activities and so it also teaches them to communicate because so often kids these days are this,” Earls said, picking up her smart phone. “They’re communicating through technology and this is face to face. We’re going to have teamwork activities for them to do. They’re going to actually have to work together. It’s almost like going back to the basics of the way things used to be. They discover that there are things that you can’t just do on your own. It takes a team and that helps them with their future goals, whatever that may be. Some of them are going to go off to college; some of them are going to go to work. It really helps them come out of their shell, so to speak.”
Hartwig added that it goes well on their college or job application showing that they did something beyond what’s required.
“From an adult standpoint … you get to see your future. The future of our employees, our volunteers, our elected leadership,” Earls said.
Earls expressed a huge thanks to the Permian Basin Area Foundation which provided a $20,000 grant for two years to cover the junior and adult leadership courses.
“There is no cost to the students to participate in this program. It is all covered by generous sponsorships from our members,” Hartwig said.
“And a grant from PBAF,” Earls noted.
