By Crystal Harrell
From March 2-3, Angel Light Academy commemorated its 25th anniversary with a 2-day Youth Leadership Conference teaching Valley students essential life skills and attributes. Held at Van Buren Elementary School in Indio, the Youth Leadership Conference promoted problem-solving and communication skills, leadership traits, social media awareness, bullying and drug resistance.
Julia Wilmot and her husband General Richard Wilmot founded ALA initially to assist those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, serving 600,000 children through the abuse prevention program, Project Prevention. The first Youth Leadership Conference was held in 1998 in Arizona and was moved to the Coachella Valley in 1999, with the first conference serving only 30 children. The organization has grown significantly ever since, now serving more than 200 children each year.
Erika Baily is a Chair for the Youth Leadership program and has been with Angel Light Academy since its inception 25 years ago, and has witnessed firsthand the growth of the program and how it has benefitted Valley youth.
“I was actually just fresh out of college when we started, so I was actually more of the youth than the leader at that time. We started off small. We wanted to see what worked. And as we found things worked, we developed it and grew. The list of leadership character traits that we have actually came from the kids. We wanted to know what they felt would make a good leader. We do an evaluation of our program every year because we want to know that what we’re doing is working and that the kids are benefitting from the core tenants we have in place,” explained Baily.
Baily cites peer-to-peer mentoring as an integral part of the program that has proved successful, as youth are able to receive guidance and real life examples from fellow students instead of relying on only adult instruction. With the 25th anniversary of Angel View Academy, the impact of the organization is more prevalent than ever with each new class of participants.
“We had two moms come in to register their kids and they told us that they were here when they were younger. They brought their kids because they wanted them to have the same opportunity that they did. They were emotional about it and thanked us for providing them something they weren’t getting anywhere else in their life. They felt it was important that their children have that. It was just amazing to realize that we are multi-generational now and have been here long enough to make that kind of impact,” said Baily.
One of the most important components that ALA promotes is giving through service. Especially implemented in all the Leadership Training Programs, service projects are designed to help participants reflect on their leadership skills and how they can be improved through interaction with others and their communities. They learn to identify and become “Angels on Earth”—a term Julia Wilmot attributes to those who take time to help other people.
The ALA Junior Leader Training Program starts with the conference every year and then rolls into the year-round program that gives leaders in-depth training in leadership skills including character traits, problem solving, communication, team building, and service. Junior Leaders meet every six weeks with well-trained volunteer facilitators to learn leadership skills and apply them while doing service in the community. The program is designed to promote leadership, character building, and problem solving so that youth can become examples of excellence in all that they do.
The Junior Leaders also engage in ongoing learning as they complete Leadership Pins. Each Leadership Pin challenges them to apply their leadership to their interests, explore new topics, and to solve problems in their lives and in their community.
Madison Oeth was awarded the prestigious Silver Presidential Service Award for completing 400 hours of community service in one year and for academic excellence by receiving higher than a 4.0 GPA. The 10th grader has participated in Angel Light Academy for 13 years.
“A lot of the people in the program are like family to me. I just grew up with these people, so I kind of wanted to stay around them and continue with them. I do a lot of peer-to-peer mentoring and I love helping little kids. Angel Light Academy is one of the best programs anyone can join because it helps them get out of their shell. I can communicate with anyone. I don’t have to worry about presentations and I’m comfortable expressing myself without difficulty,” shared Oeth.
ALA programs are supported by donations, grants, and fundraising events, with 85 percent of the proceeds going directly into programming, and 15 percent to program development. Participants of the conference are asked to donate to cover a portion of the cost for the facilities, materials, food, and curriculum; however, scholarships are available for those who aren’t able to donate.
For more information or to sign up to volunteer or enroll a child in the junior leader program, visit the organization’s website at www.angellightacademy.org. Or, call 888.311.7388.
