My four years as a Youth Change Reaction member have been truly transformative. When I first heard about YCR, I was merely a timid little eighth grader sitting in my grade school cafeteria. The seemingly intimidating high school members came to speak to us about applying to the group, which is the youth group of the McCook Community Foundation Fund.
At the time, I had absolutely no idea what YCR would entail. Quite frankly, I just thought it was something that would look good on a college application, but it turned out to be so much more than that.
YCR is a group where kids are finally treated like adults. As a teenager, I'm used to not being taken seriously, even when my ideas are logistically sound and well thought out.
Knowingly or unknowingly, adults tend to belittle teenagers, especially in a professional setting. On some level, this is justified since most adults have more real-life experience.
But in a group like YCR, decisions are truly based on the will and ideas of the youth. We do all the “grown-up” work, so therefore, we deserve to receive the same respect as adults do.
Our adult sponsors, Mark Graff, Pam Wolford, Shelly Sehnert and Gavin Harsh, are very helpful because of their vast and varied experiences.
They try to provide a balance of guidance when we need it, but let us make decisions - and mistakes - too.
YCR is not a group that plasters “youth'' on everything, when, in reality, the adults do the brunt of the work. It is truly run by the high school members, while our incredible sponsors just point us in the right direction. We are making a big and lasting impact on our community through projects and our activities.
Most youth groups don’t have the privilege of working so closely with such experienced members of the community. With their help, we are able to accomplish feats that would be unrealistic for most youth organizations.
Additionally, we are blessed to have substantial financial support from grants as well as from generous donations from community members.
For example, our drive-in theater project received a grant from the McCook Community Foundation Fund Advisory Committee, showing their support for the project. It was also matched by a Youth Engagement Grant from the Nebraska Community Foundation. But the remainder of the cost was donated by generous businesses, individuals and organizations from the area. The drive-in project, along with our smaller ones, has truly shown me how our ideas can come to fruition because of the generosity of the community.
YCR has also given me networking opportunities that I never would have had if not for this group. Not only has it given me connections to some really amazing people, but it has also forced me to go outside my comfort zone and learn to talk to a variety of different people, especially adults.
It’s always really cool to see the passion that so many people have for their communities, and the way their eyes light up when they talk about positive change. Everyone I have met through YCR seems deeply interested in the youth-aspect of our group. Community leaders are constantly trying to think of ways to make our town more appealing to kids, so they love to pick our brain for input.
Representing our community’s youth, we can give direct input about what we would like to see happen in our town and what sort of things would make us want to return to our hometown one day to raise a family of our own.
As my four years as a YCR member comes to an end, I’ve learned so many lessons that will help me in my future job, family, and community. I would’ve never had the opportunity to learn and experience such cool things without this group. YCR has served as an incredible outlet for me to branch out to other people who care about the community and turn my dreams - and their dreams - into reality.
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Natalie Roberts is a senior at McCook High School, co-president of Youth Change Reaction and truly wants to make her hometown an even better place to call home.
