Developing Young Leaders

by Patrique Harris, Youth Ministry Director

One of the hallmarks of the Youth Ministry at Mission Adelante is developing young leaders from our community. During my first trimester on staff, I was able to see this in action right off the bat! The annual summer internship for teens brought together five distinct individuals - with their own unique backgrounds, talents, leadership styles, food preferences, tastes in music, and dance proficiencies!

Probably more numerous in their differences than their similarities, it was awe-inspiring to watch the group slowly but surely gravitate closer and closer to each other. Slightly awkward meal times quickly became open, vulnerable dialogue, filled with laughter and the most eclectic music playlist bellowing in the background. A life-long friendship was brewing right before my eyes!

(From left to right: Innocent, Mikya, Shae, Edna and Flori)

Not only did I observe the interns sharing life with each other, I also had the privilege of seeing their gifts emerge and blossom. Innocent has a distinct ability to captivate an audience, bringing stories to life through dramatization, song and dance. Mikya has an incredible work ethic and is a natural at engaging and entertaining all types of people. Shae is proactive, very savvy with technology and goes out of his way to help others. Edna has a knack for design, most notably graphic design, and her empathy and emotional intelligence is well beyond her years. Flori is bold (especially in hat selection), enjoys learning and is not afraid to ask the challenging questions. He is also relentless in pursuit of his goals (we should see his soccer skills on the big screen soon).

Introducing Leadership Training Project
This year I am so blessed to be curating a program, Leadership Training Project (LTP), for exceptional teens in the Adelante Youth Club. LTP is a yearlong discipleship and leadership development experience that focuses on developing a devotional life, creating community within the group, providing individual mentorship and training experiences and most notably providing an opportunity for participants to work in Mission Adelante programs as staff interns.

Mikya (from the 2021 summer internship), JoJo, Lucy and Alana will be joining the Mission Adelante family as part of the program. For their staff internship, Mikya and JoJo will be partnering with Ranjana and I in the Youth Ministry, Lucy will be partnering with Carla in the Children’s Ministry and Alana will be partnering with Alex in Social Media. I can’t wait to share their progress with you in my next Adelante Express article. Stay tuned!