The Central York Leadership Group (CYLG) is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging high-school students to take on civic roles in their community. On April 20, 2024, the CYLG hosted its first Career Carnival to provide youth with information about potential career pathways while engaging in fun carnival games. As the Event Chair of the CYLG, I conceptualized and structured the event from start to finish. I gained varied experience through the process of gathering industry professionals and sponsors; finalizing venue and layout, and organizing volunteers and activities. I spent hours coordinating with our talented team of youth and mentors to organize marketing and outreach efforts. I also developed a stampable passport in order to disseminate important information about our event, organization, and sponsors, as well as to facilitate active participation. By visiting the professional booths and playing games, guests could stamp their passports in order to trade for tickets and win prizes!
Due to unforeseeable circumstances, our MC was unavailable to introduce our keynote and event, and it was at that moment I gathered my courage and, without a speech, stepped into the role and MC’d the entire event. This experience has furthered my communication, interpersonal, problem-solving, and public speaking skills. I learned a great deal about formal event planning, and was able to understand the importance of both anticipating situations and taking initiative on the spot.
The CYLG hopes to host this event annually to enlighten new generations of students to come, and I am so excited to have the opportunity to take our Career Carnival to greater heights!
