Last week, youth from across the territory gathered in Whitehorse for our third annual Leaders In Training (LIT) Conference. Throughout the conference, youth participants built confidence, made friends, and emerged as leaders in a group of peers while BYTE facilitators watched and marvelled at their success!
Some of the participants have been coming to LIT since our first conference in 2013, and it’s incredible to see how these young leaders have grown. We also met participants who, even though they’d never been to LIT before, brought strong leadership skills, new ideas and a fresh perspective to the group.
This was our third year in a row running the LIT Conference, which means the reputation of the conference is growing. We had an overwhelming amount of requests for youth to come and participate, and we were able to bring in youth representatives from ten different rural Yukon communities: Old Crow, Mayo, Dawson City, Pelly Crossing, Ross River, Faro, Watson Lake, Haines Junction, Carcross and Carmacks. We also had youth representatives from the Kwanlin Dun First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council in Whitehorse.
LIT Conference Coordinator Liz Pilon took this year’s conference to the next level. When she wasn’t introducing new games or taking the silliness factor up a notch, she was asking participants to examine themselves and their leadership strengths.
Teagan Lee from the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre joined us for a session on human and youth rights, and Kluane Adamac led the group through a workshop that inspired participants to make change in their own communities.
On the second and third day, participants took time to think about what they wanted for their community. Some of their ideas included more youth-specific programming, improved youth centres, renovated swimming pools, more education out on the land, and more sports opportunities.
With all the effort and engagement the youth put into the program, we have no doubt that they could help make these things happen in their communities.
One participant told us that the most important thing they learned from the conference was “my own leadership qualities.â€
We’re so proud of the young leaders who attended this year’s conference, and can’t wait to reconnect with them next year!
A huge thank-you goes to Liz Pilon for organizing the conference, and to the Crime Prevention and Victim Services Trust Fund for funding the project.
Photos from this year’s LIT Conference
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