Youth leadership organizations YLINK and Upstream Kansas co-hosted a two-day youth leadership conference last week, bringing together students and local leaders to explore the power of community involvement. The event kicked off at Wellington High School, where several community leaders participated in a panel discussion and fielded questions from student attendees.
Locally facilitated by WHS Leadership Class instructor Karla Defore, the conference drew about 65 youth leaders from across the state. The students collaborated to develop thoughtful questions for panelists Ursula Goff, Mike Wilmoth, Erma Ratliff, Anna Ewing, and Annarose White.
“The students did a really fabulous job of creating the questions — basically, what makes people choose to give of their time,” said Defore. “The people on this panel work in this community because they have a stake in the future. They want to live in a place they like, which means you have to do something to make it likeable.”
Panelist Erma Ratliff, a former student of Defore’s and now Community Events & Engagement Coordinator for Kanokla, reflected on the energy in the room. “It was really great to be in a room filled with like-minded people! As Annarose pointed out, everyone seems to think that someone else will step up, when in truth sometimes nobody is. It only takes one person to start making change happen.”
Ratliff shared that her experience in Defore’s leadership class helped spark her passion for mentoring young people and becoming an active community leader. When asked, “How can a workplace engage in their community?” she emphasized the value of personal involvement.
“It’s easy for a company to send a check in the mail, but engaging in the communities that you serve is vitally important — not only for the community, but for your employees that live in the community,” she said.
The theme of youth involvement was central to the panel’s discussion. When asked, “How does involving our youth positively impact a community?” Ursula Goff highlighted the unique contributions of young people.
“Young voices can contribute extremely valuable feedback, especially regarding the activities and institutions that impact them directly,” Goff said. “Their enthusiasm can be essential when powering through the tougher parts of community work. Young people can bring much-needed energy and optimism, which can be big morale boosters when working on long projects or with difficult personalities. Bringing in kids can make a project feel like it’s moving more quickly and more fun.”
The panel encouraged the audience to recognize the value of student input — not just good ideas, but lived experience that can improve community spaces and initiatives.
“If we expect young people to feel some responsibility towards their community, then we need to entrust them with responsibilities within the community,” Goff added. “That’s the only way they will learn that they are trusted members of the community, and gain the sense of ownership and pride that comes from this type of effort.”
WHS Leadership Class members Madalynn Wonser, Maverick Peterson, Taryn Viramontes, Logan Robinson, and Easton Lynnes represented Wellington during the event. After the panel, WHS graduate and journalist Annette Lawless served as the guest speaker.
Last year, Defore’s class was honored with the conference’s “Hit the Ground Running” award. Projects such as the Crusader Closet and the Annual Service Day continue to demonstrate the power of local youth leadership in action.
“We will continue to do good things and see what catches on,” Defore said of the class’s future plans.
Goff closed by emphasizing the role of adults in supporting youth engagement. “We have to make the effort to initiate them into adult life by inviting them to partake in the work of living. Getting them started before they’re 18 better prepares them for understanding how much work goes into building and maintaining community, which also helps them find their place in all of that.”
