Annual Youth Directors Conference

The 2012 YCC and REACH Communications instructions and motivational speakers, Shau Derik, Ty Sells, Keith Williams, and Javier Sanchez. THANK YOU YCC for an AWESOME JOB!!

SFAPAL 14th Annual Youth Directors Conference: Join the Network!

By Karen Fleming

"Be a part of the PAL network" - that was the message to the PAL youth directors at the State of Florida Association of Police Athletic/Activities Leagues (SFAPAL) Annual Youth Directors' (YDC) Conference. PAL has more to offer than any other social network out there. Kids came from all over to have some real face-time with each other. Fourteen PAL chapters were represented at the conference: PALs from Florida, Ohio and New Jersey sent a total of 250 kids.

The SFAPAL Youth Directors' Conference was held from January 5-8, 2012 at Disney's beautiful Coronado Springs Resort and Conference Center. Liza Creatura, the chairperson of the 2012 Youth Conference Committee (YCC), the group who had been working for months behind the scenes to plan the conference, set the tone for the conference: "The YDC is an opportunity to listen to amazing motivational speakers, learn life skills through professional instruction, and meet teenagers from all around Florida and the rest of the country. Many of the lessons, experiences, and memories I've had in PAL have come from the YDC experience. I have met many amazing people at this conference that have had such a great impact on my life."

At the conference, PAL kids are inspired, instructed, motivated, and enjoy the Disney parks after the conference sessions each day.

YDC Instructor Ty Sells

The PAL kids who attend the conference belong to the PAL Youth Directors' Councils (YDC), a youth leadership program for kids ages ten to eighteen. The program encourages kids to work within their communities to effect positive change. If the youth directors do the required community service and meet the other guidelines, such as attending their local and regional YDC meetings, then the conference, the meals, the lodging, and the Disney passes are free for them.

"The conference was better this year than ever," Mr. L. B. Scott, SFAPAL executive director, said. "The youth did an outstanding job and set a new higher bar for the future. Every member of Florida PAL should be very proud of our YDC program. The level of imagination and thought put in by the youth this year was exciting to watch. YDC Program Manager Rhonda Scott is to be commended for her hard work making this conference better every year."

A Conference for Kids, Planned by Kids

This conference is unique in that it is a conference for kids, planned by kids, and run by kids. The group responsible for engineering this is the Youth Conference Committee (YCC), led by Liza Creatura. When she chaired the committee for the 2012 conference, she was a junior in high school, but in spite of her youth, she showed mature, competent leadership.

A picture is worth a 1000 words...Youth and Adults enjoy the YDC. { Supervisors, Belinda Legut, Avery Randolph, and the Ormond Beach Youth Directors}

Serving with her on the YCC were Monica Moss, Marissa Moss, and Chauncey Williams, all from Ormond Beach PAL; Leland Hamilton, from Winter Haven PAL; Yasmin Dweik, from Palm Springs PAL; Joseph Paz, from Coral Gables PAL; Max Trepasso, from Broward County PAL; Calvin Mitchell and Shaq Thomas, both from Cocoa PAL.

"The conference was quite an adventure; it was really a life-changing experience," Joseph Paz, YCC member from Coral Gables PAL, wrote by email. "We really wanted to emphasize to the other PAL chapters to get to know each other, and especially the other members of the YCC. I formed a family-type bond that can never be broken." Joseph will serve as co-chair with Liza for the 2013 YDC conference.

Chauncey Williams, from Ormond Beach PAL, wrote that the conference was the best one they'd ever had. "It was my first time on YCC, and the adults loved what we put together. The speakers were amazing, and all the YDC members enjoyed themselves. I loved it! I hope this next year is like last year because it is my last year."

"The kids in the YCC-what a great bunch of kids," Sergeant Paul Creatura, one of the conference speakers and also Liza's father, said. "That was one of the best conferences I've ever seen. These kids did a super job." Sergeant Creatura has attended thirteen of the fourteen YDC conferences to date, so he has a large base for comparison. "Liza was the chairperson with the right kids in the right places. They all got along together, and had respect for each other. It was very impressive."

Let's Hear from the Contingent from Howell Township New Jersey PAL

Lest you think, reader, that a father might be prejudiced, you should hear next from a youth who attended from Howell Township PAL in New Jersey. Brooke Wilson, age seventeen, is no stranger to youth conferences, as she has attended several before coming to Florida's this year. When asked what she thought of the Florida PAL conference, she said, "OMG! It was my favorite one-definitely. The conference, the location, everything! The energy they had when they were there-it was really so much fun." Since she will be starting college in the fall, this would be her last FL PAL conference to attend as a PAL member, but she said she would like to figure out how to come back as a mentor.

Florida PAL Youth Directors prepare for some intense training and superior motivation from the 14th Annual Youth Directors Conference.

Sergeant Chris Hill, director of Howell Township New Jersey PAL, brought eighteen kids with him to the conference. For the last five years, he has brought about twenty kids each time to the Florida YDC conference. "There are other conferences we could go to," he said. "I gave the kids the option last year. I said, 'We could probably take more kids if we go to a conference in Ohio or California,' and they said, 'Absolutely not.' I said, 'Okay, you guys are the boss. I'm just along for the ride.' We run our own conference now; this is our third year. We built our conference on how Florida runs theirs." In the coming year, Florida PAL has already made a commitment to bring Florida PAL kids to the New Jersey YDC conference.

And from Jersey City PAL

"It was a great experience for them," Sergeant Frank Williams of Jersey City PAL, said about the four young men, ages 15-17, who came with him, and who are Police Explorers and rugby players in Jersey City PAL. For three of the four boys, this was their first time out of the state, let alone to come to Florida and Disney. "They look forward to coming back. Hopefully, we could add three or four more, so the kids who've been can experience it again, and also get some new folks to experience it as well."

This was the first time Sergeant Williams had experienced a YDC conference as well. "It was an awesome experience on different levels," he said. "I had minimal knowledge about the YDC and how it's run, so when I found out it's run by the kids, I was like, 'Okay, so the adults get to stand back and the youth run it.' I was impressed. What floored me was the level of professionalism. They presented a professional conference. You could see that a lot of planning went into it, and a lot of hard work to get the conference done. The kids were very mature. They really took their positions seriously. They had the other kids locked in, and certainly my guys."

Speakers and Sessions

In their planning sessions, the YCC had the opportunity to choose from among the best professional speakers available and they presented a powerful line up at the conference.

"Life Moves Fast; Be Present in the Moment"

Shaun Derik uses his background in the performing arts to challenge kids to learn and practice positive habits. In his presentations, he urges kids to be mindful of the music they hear in their heads, be alert to negative influences, and watch carefully how they treat others. "Words are powerful," he cautioned the kids at the conference. "They can and do hurt. What someone says can last a lifetime in your memory."

"There are things which make us better, or bitter."

A defining moment in Alton Jamison's life, he told the kids, was seeing his father in handcuffs. Handcuffs: "those two small pieces of metal that take away your freedom and bring shame and disappointment." Just before his father was led away, his father made him promise that Alton would not end up like that. "Sometimes we're also mentally handcuffed-there are things in our lives that hold us back. Long before my father was physically handcuffed, he was mentally handcuffed." Mr. Jamison shared some insights and advice from his memoir titled, No More Handcuffs: Five Keys to Removing the Mental Handcuffs from your Life!

"The Lyrics to Life"

Have you ever dreamed of what you'll do one day? "Why not start now?" Yaves Ellis challenged the kids. "Why wait? You say, 'One day I'll do this or that.' Why not start today? Why wait? Don't push off your dreams, hopes, and aspirations." Embrace Your Song. Yaves Ellis, who "has been trailblazing the Christian hip-hop scene for the past decade . . . uses his music to impact social change and provide youth from all walks of life with tools to rebuild their communities."

Building Health and Vitality from the Inside Out

Health and nutrition expert, personal trainer, and author, Kyle Brown, "has a holistic approach to health and fitness that ensures that your body is given everything it requires to build health and vitality from the inside out. He is a co-founder of My Life, My Power, a non-profit whose mission is self-empowerment of youth through mentorship, goal-setting, and character building as a solution to the bullying problem." (from conference program)

Locked Inside a Shack

"How many times have you had a door opened for you and you run right in without thinking?" Javier Sanchez asked the kids. "We have power to make choices; animals don't. They do things by instinct. But we, as humans, have power to choose which door of opportunity to go through. Most of the time you make your choices without thinking, and it turns out badly. You made a good choice when you came through the door to this conference. Your teenage years are dependent on the choices you make from this moment on. Choose to just survive, or choose to live life to the fullest. PAL creates opportunities for you to live life to the fullest despite your circumstances. PAL helps you live above your circumstances."

Impacting Youth through Hip-Hop

When the medium for transmitting the message to kids is something the kids identify with, the message tends to reach its target. Keith "Speak" Williams uses his creative and artistic abilities as a poet and musician to motivate and encourage youth in their personal development and civic engagement. The kids listened and got into the spirit and the flow of Mr. William's rhythmic hip-hop chant, "I'm Incredible."

The Two Types of People

"There are two types of people," Ty Sells told the kids, "those who run from trouble and those who run to help." Specifically, Mr. Sells was thinking back to 9/11 when some were running to escape the disaster and some were running toward it to help. "You can see inspiration even in the darkest moments," he said. Ty forged a connection with the young people at the conference, using a combination of compassion and comedy to get the kids thinking about making good choices.

How to Talk to Kids

Sergeant Paul Creatura has thought a lot about communicating with kids, and he spoke with the adult leaders of the PAL kids attending the conference to share his insights. He's had lots of practice developing his theories as the father of three daughters, Dina (27), Liza (16), and Kira (14), not to mention the innumerable PAL kids he's worked with over the years at Satellite Beach PAL. "The young person's brain doesn't work the same way as ours," he said. "It's not developed yet. We (as adults) make decisions based on experience-for them, it's kind of first time through."

Not Just a Two or Three Day Experience

"What I love about PAL," Mr. Javier Sanchez has said, "is that they're not just interested in powerful moments; they're interested in creating what we call powerful movement, where young people can take what they've heard, take what they've experienced at the conference and apply it to their everyday lives, so it's not just a two or three day experience at a conference, but it becomes part of their lives."

Our young people need lots of guidance to make it successfully to adulthood, and that's something these PAL conferences hope to give. The tools they acquire, the friendships they forge all become part of what they take with them as they leave the conference. Those, and the memories of happy times at the conference and at Disneyworld, will make them stronger so they can cope with whatever life has in store.