Y Member Spotlight: Dakota

As I get ready to start my sophomore year in high school I feel it’s best to take time and look back on this summer and my freshman year overall. I know many people have the typical cliché of high school being terrible wrapped in their minds but for me that definitely isn’t the case. Not only was this because of the clubs I joined, friends I had, classes I took, but this was also because of the YMCA Teen Program.

I have been a Y kid for as long as I can remember, my mom teaches preschool here and I have been involved in soccer, kids camp, swim lessons, and I have been checked into Amazing Kids too many times to count. All these were truly great experiences but as I get older I see the amazing impact the YMCA Teen Program has had on me and my transition to the crazy world of teenagers.

My first experience with this amazing program was with Youth and Government. Youth and Government is for any person in my age group who is even the slightest bit interested in our government or even needs something to keep them out of trouble! This past season was my first and I am so glad I became a part of this amazing group. I learned all about our judicial system and got to be a part of a mock trial. This experience was so different in a positive way because I got to experience the process for myself rather than sitting and reading it from a textbook. I not only got to learn more information about our government but I also got to meet a new group of people. Everyone that was involved in Chandler’s youth and government program last season means the absolute world to me. I made so many connections in such little time and we all clicked in the blink of an eye. I absolutely adore each and every one of them and I can’t wait to experience more with them next season because boy, do I miss them.

Another teen program I was heavily involved in was teen camp. As many of us know, the Y’s summer day camp age cut off is 12. That is definitely a reasonable age but as a teen I know I needed something to keep me busy when I wasn’t at student council camp, band camp, or out of town. That is when the YMCA teen camp came and saved me from just staying at home sleeping and eating all day long. I would come to the Y at 9am and the rest of the day consisted of just plain old fun, with a perfectly balanced mix of volunteering, college tours, and many other great places. Some places included feed my starving children, top golf, Hospice of the valley, and Mesquite Groves Aquatic center. I also met amazing people who have made an impact in my life in just a small amount of time. The YMCA teen program is truly amazing and I’m so glad I get to be a part of it and continue to grow and achieve many amazing things with many amazing people.

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