Newtown Republicans Help A Young Leader Attend Conference

By Shannon Hicks

Nicholas Rosa, a Newtown resident and a sophomore at Fairfield Preparatory High School, spent part of last week at a National Young Leaders Conference. Sponsored by The Congressional Youth Leadership Council (CYLC), six eight-day conferences are offered each spring. Ten-day NYLP leadership conferences are held in Washington, D.C., during the summer.

Nick attended the most recent conference, which ran February 21–26. He is the son of Anne and Flavio Rosa, and the grandson of former Newtown residents Bill and Liz Meyer.

National Young Leaders Conferences are designed to instruct and enrich promising students in a hands-on, experimental atmosphere while preparing them for a lifetime of leadership. Students must be in their sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school and need to meet tough academic and leadership criteria in order to be nominated for a conference; nominations come from high school educators or CYLC alumni.

Nick was one of three students from Fairfield Prep who attended the February conference. In addition to maintaining a 3.7 GPA, Nick’s extracurricular activities include being involved in Cardinal Key Club, playing junior varsity soccer, and serving as a referee for Newtown Soccer Club.

The theme of each conference is “The Leaders of Tomorrow Meeting the Leaders of Today.” NYLC offers young people an opportunity to discuss current issues with the men and women who shape the nation’s policies and laws. NYLC challenges participants to assess problems, contribute to group discussions, and take on roles in educational simulations.

Through these experiences, students develop important leadership skills by learning to evaluate critical information, form and advocate positions, and make decisions.

In addition to securing nominations, students must also arrange for their own tuition for each conference. Tuition for the conference is $1,295, with additional costs to include travel fees and incidentals. Nick was able to cover nearly 50 percent of his fees from personal savings, and looked for outside help on the other costs.

“Attending this program will enable me to develop my leadership skills and reach my career goals,” he wrote in a letter to Carol Recht, the chairman of Newtown’s Republican Town Committee. “If I were to attend the conference, then I will be able to meet with high ranking government officials, members of Congress, representatives of the international diplomatic community, national media figures and distinguished scholars.

“As you can see, this will be a powerful experience, enabling me to interact with many prominent men and women whom most of us only read about in the papers and see on television,” he continued. “I will be leaving the conference better equipped to take on the leadership challenges of tomorrow.”

Before heading to the nation’s capital, Nick met with Mrs Recht to accept a donation from the RTC.

Each of the conference days followed its own theme, beginning with “Welcome to Our Nation’s Capital” on February 21, which included a college admissions seminar called “Applying for Success,” and a lecture on “A Call to Leadership” in addition to registration, orientation, and other welcoming programs.

Day Two, “National Issues in a Global Community” on February 22, offered a tour of national monuments and historic sites, “Leadership in Action” elective workshops, an executive branch simulation called “If I Were President,” and discussion and commentary on national and global topics.

Day Three, “The National Government: The Legislative and Judicial Branches,” included greetings from a member of Congress and an orientation tour of Capitol Hill, a judicial branch simulation, and individual meetings for attendees with their Senators and Representatives of designated staff among the planned activities.

Day Four, “Current Issues and The New Media in American Society,” allowed attendees to have breakfast at the National Press Club followed by a panel discussion among national journalists, discussion and analysis of leadership at the federal levels, discussion of current issues in national politics, and models of Congress committee hearings, lobbying, and leadership briefings.

The Model Congress, which was the theme for Day Five/February 25, had the students assembling for a Legislative Branch simulation of the Congress, and then taking in a tour and self-selected activities at the National Museums and Galleries at The Smithsonian Institution.

The conference’s final day, “Accepting the Challenge of Leadership,” included a commencement address and presentation of certificates of achievement before students began their trips home.

While Nick has not been directly involved in student politics since middle school (when he was on the Student Council at Newtown Middle School), he decided to try to attend NYLC because “it seemed like a good idea. This was a good opportunity for me to take advantage of,” Nick said while meeting with Mrs Recht.

CYLC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational organization founded in 1985. Located in Washington, D.C., the group’s mission is to foster and inspire young people to achieve their full leadership potential. To date, more than 200,000 young people representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, American territories and 100-plus countries have participated in CYLC programs.