South Carolina Youth Leadership Forum Is Accepting Applications from Future Advocates: Here’s my story By: Grace Trumpower Able South Carolina is now accepting applications for the South Carolina Youth Leadership Forum (SC YLF).
SC YLF is a four-day, three-night program that teaches young adults
with disabilities how to be advocates in their own communities. SC YLF
is going to take place at Presbyterian College from July 20 through July
23. There is no cost. There are four criteria you must meet in order to
participate in YLF: - You must have a disability. (It can be any type or degree of disability.)
- You must live in South Carolina.
- You must fall within the 15-23-year-old age range. (High school juniors, seniors, and recent high school graduates accepted.)
- Show leadership skills at school or in your community.
SC
YLF has classes on disability history, disability pride, political
advocacy, and leadership skills. There are guest speakers who talk about
their areas of expertise, such as healthy relationships or medical
advocacy, all through the lens of their lived experience of disability.
While YLF might sound similar to college, it’s definitely not all
sitting at a desk. Courses are interactive, and participants do
activities like adaptive dance and adaptive theater. There are
opportunities to socialize with your peers after the lessons are done,
and participants compete in game nights, watch movies together, and just
make new friends. I attended SC YLF in 2016 and 2017.
It was my first time ever living apart from my parents, and I was very
nervous. I had never even considered that I could live independently
someday, but YLF changed my thinking. I finally had role models that
showed me what life would be like as an adult. I got to practice some
skills that I would need to learn in order to live independently, such
as taking my medications and using Personal Care Assistant services. It
also changed the way that my parents saw me. At first, my dad called me
multiple times a day to check on me, but by the end of the week, he saw
that I was capable of staying in the dorms without any issues. I felt
like he had gone from seeing me as a helpless child to seeing me as the
strong young adult I was becoming. I
had started to see myself differently as well. When I got home from
YLF, I told my dad that I wanted to move out. As of today, I have been
living independently in my own apartment for about four years now. I
don’t think I would have ever done that if it weren’t for my experiences
at YLF. I
also built many relationships at YLF. I made friends with other youth
with disabilities, and we are still close friends to this day. It was so
lovely to be around people who understood the things I went through
daily. We really bonded over what it was like to be young people with
disabilities, and I looked forward to our nightly chats. I also met some
people who helped me advance my career. I interviewed the late great
disability advocate Judith Heumann, and she inspired me to get involved
with the National Center for Independent Living, where I later served on
the board. YLF
is life-changing and revolutionary. I am too old to attend YLF and I
miss it every year. You will not regret attending! You should seize the
opportunity and apply. You can do that at the link below.
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