Teens from local high schools formed the new Student Leadership Council 2013-14 for K is for Kids. Nominations are now open for other leadership opportunities.
The goal of the council is to have one to two representatives from each high school in Collier County; although students may also be nominated from Lee.
The council, nicknamed DOSA for the Directorate of Student Agenda, will be reviewing and updating mission statements and strategic goals, as well as streamlining current projects and events that the students host each year, particularly during the Foundation’s ‘fun’raising’ season* (coinciding with Naples social season) and literacy month.
The leadership team was first created in 2008, coinciding with the launch of K is for Kids, and was known as the Teen Advisory Team. As the ranks swelled, the Teen Advisory Council was established by teen leaders in 2010 to guide and govern the mission and activities of all youth volunteers, especially high school students.
Student leaders shown left to right: Patrick Clawson, Gulf Coast High; Mario Chang, Gulf Coast High; Nicholas Nolan, Barron Collier High; and Nedgie Paul, Palmetto Ridge High, meet to form K is for Kids Foundation’s Teen Advisory Council 2013-14.
K is for Kids is unique in that its primary volunteers are teenagers – particularly high school students nearing graduation. Students may earn community service hours, boost their resumes, and apply their skills outside of the classroom in a social entrepreneurship setting on the giving side of the Foundation’s mission “building readers and leaders.” They have opportunities to strengthen their communication and leadership skills, serving or leading teams of students, working independently, or serving as interns.
* Each February, K is for Kids sponsors the “Bring a Book, Bring a Friend” for Children’s Literacy Month in February. Student leaders and volunteers create “fun’raisers” – activities for children and their families to help promote literacy and leadership while also collecting thousands of books to distribute to students across Collier County.
The teen’s signature event, the annual From the Heart Teen Fashion Show, is held before Valentine’s Day at Barron Collier High School in collaboration with Collier County Public Schools and draws in students of all ages from around Collier and south Lee Counties. The teens also host the yearly Kids Celebrate Reading Book Fair at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in February, featurings lots of fun activities for children and their families.
Click here to see more information about the students’ events.