YSLT Summit Goes Virtual

Hey! My name is Yvonne, and I am a senior at Granby High School. I have been a part of Y Street for two years now! At the end of the school year, I applied to be a part of the Y Street Leadership Team and, to my surprise, I was accepted! Usually, the staff on the team would get existing and new members of the Leadership Team together in a hotel in Richmond. While in Richmond, there would be many interactive activities to prepare for the following school year, in-person meetings with the legislature, and (most importantly) getting to know everyone on the leadership team. However, this year the Y Street Leadership Team Summit was a little different. Because of the times we are in, having an in-person summit was not an option. So, we took advantage of Zoom, making this year the first-ever virtual summit. 

During the summit week, we had various activities about the campaigns that Y Street is working on. We talked in-depth about the Share The Air (if you want to learn more, click on the campaign link) and the Rev Your Bev campaigns. We also used that time to talk about the expectations we have as leaders in Y Street.

Each night during the summit week, we had social activities. During this time, there was no talk about anything related to Y Street. This was the time we used to play games with one another and get to know each other, since we could not meet in person. We played online group games, including my favorite, the virtual escape room. Along with getting to know each other through the presented social activities, we also had ZOOMmates. If this summit were to be held in Richmond, each of us would be assigned a roommate to get to know, but since that could not happen, we had a ZOOMmate. Each night, there was a ZOOMmate activity that needed to be completed. We took that time to talk to our partner, and get a deeper understanding of who they were.  

This Virtual Summit was more than I expected it to be. The staff at Y Street made this a memorable experience. I met a lot of ambitious, intelligent young people and also made a couple of new friends. Of course, it would have been nice to see everyone in person, but we had to make the best of it. Y Street Leadership Team is truly a fantastic opportunity to meet like-minded people and make Virginia healthier.

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