Get Schooled: Lackey Kids Lead the Way

By Amber Lester Friday, July 09, 2010

Darius Parmer nervously held a piece of paper in front of him as he took to the podium. He glanced at the audience and then back down at his paper before he began to speak.

“My goal has been to participate more in group participation,” he said, his voice shaking. “But speaking in front of people is not easy.”

The audience members chuckled and Parmer went on, saying, “We are all still learning to be better at this. The most important thing is that I’m trying something new.”

Parmer was one of 10 kids honored Thursday night for trying something new this year — the Lackey Leadership Academy. The academy encourages kids ages 11 to 14 to take ownership of their community and try to influence others through positive behavior, according to Denille Francis, the group’s organizer. With their families, they gathered at the Freight Shed in Yorktown for a banquet and completion ceremony Thursday, where the students shared anecdotes about their experience in the academy. Each student spoke eloquently about his or her growth through the program, behaving with the composure and humility that characterizes good leadership.

Before taking on her current role as clinical director for the Peninsula region for Family Preservation Services, Inc., Francis worked for social services. With her co-workers, she identified Lackey as the only community in York County with subsidized housing. “The children of Lackey are very isolated,” she said. “They had no activities, no bus service.”

Five years ago, she worked to start the Lackey Community Collaboration Task Force, teaming with government leaders, community housing partners, church representatives and parents to find a way to engage Lackey’s children. They created Express Yourself, an art-driven group that encouraged children to draw the bad things in their neighborhood and come up with solutions to fix its problems. Francis says children submitted drawings of drug deals or human excrement on the playgrounds. “We told them they could be the change,” she said.

As the children grew, they started to lose interest in craft projects. In her new role with Family Preservation Services, Inc., Francis decided to start the leadership academy. Students had to apply for admission, share a writing sample and receive their parents’ permission to participate. Forty kids attended the open house; organizers narrowed the applicants down to 10 kids in an effort to keep the group small and focused.

The group met every Thursday afternoon for the past six months at a community center in Lackey. They made birdhouses that were donated to several parks; they took a kayak trip to learn more about the Chesapeake Bay for a “Clean Up the Bay” day and they took frequent field trips to meet young professionals and learn about their careers. The group formed a partnership with Williamsburg’s Young Emerging Professionals group, which introduced the children to leaders only a few years older than them. They visited with a young lawyer, a veterinarian, a dentist, Howell Creative Services, the Green Leafe Café and even recorded their voices in our studio here at The Tide.

The students also learned about leadership throughout history – what works and what doesn’t. They learned about understanding disabilities, and how to avoid passing judgment on people who are different. “We’ve talked about how the most successful leaders are pretty humble, welcoming and gracious to all people,” Francis says.

With that in mind, each meeting concludes with students going around the room and recognizing their peers’ accomplishments. They also set small, achievable goals, such as “Today I’m going to listen” and at the end of the meeting, rate their performance toward that goal. At Thursday’s ceremony, academy attendee Destiny Robertson said, “Sometimes I met my goals and sometimes I didn’t, but I kept trying.”

The group has already secured some grant money to fund next year’s leadership class. Francis says if the same students apply, she’ll increase their responsibility and have the young leaders co-facilitate the group.

Wittman creates Facebook forum
Rep. Rob Wittman is looking for ways to connect with his younger constituents. Two weeks ago, he hosted the First Congressional District Youth Forum in Yorktown, where students suggested the creation of an online forum for discussion. Thus, his office set up a Facebook page where students can share ideas and opinions on issues that matter to them. They can also watch for information about future Youth Forum meetings and other youth-related events in the First District.