Reaching Young Leaders of Tomorrow

The world's current youth population (people aged 15-20) is around 1.8 billion. Most of this population has the potential to be great leaders, while only a small percentage of this population is encouraged to or provided the resources to learn and practice leadership. This stage of being a youth is when young people are still uncertain about what they like and what they don't. Their opinions are not firmly in place, revisited and revised due to their peers' influence and according to what they see happening around them.

Nurturing the leadership aspect of youth is a considerable step towards positive change in social, communal and political policies in the future.

The mission of The GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales in 2020 – 2022 is that of "Empowering female youth through involvement in community service to positively influence, as future leaders, their environment." The Club believes that the world is still in need of young role models, people whom children, teens and young adults can better relate to. There are so many young women with potential to make extreme changes. Who knows, one of them may even know the secret to eliminating environmental issues. Or even the way around reducing poverty in a drastic manner.

The GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales is reaching out to young women in their community through their various Community Service Programs. The Environmental CSP is in the process of developing the "Green Teens" to teach young female volunteers the issues facing our environment today and how to develop ways and means to address these issues within the community. The Civic Engagement and Outreach CSP is dedicated to educating the young women in the community about governmental and civic concerns in Lake Wales and in the State. The Health and Wellness CSP has the goal to bring awareness regarding issues that lead to suicide and depression in teens and young adults that is prevalent in the high school and college environment.

A huge endeavor for the Club is through the Education CSP. Their goal is to sponsor two $1,000 scholarships during the year 2021 to two deserving young people who have shown their dedication and desire to pursue a college education and who have served their community with community service work as well as maintaining a high GPA and being accepted to the college of their choice.

The Club also has the goal of sponsoring two candidates to Hoby International over the next two years. Hoby is the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Program designed to prepare students to turn their ideas and goals into reality. Each program adheres to the five core HOBY values: Volunteerism, Integrity, Excellence, Diversity, and Community Partnership. Each spring, 10,000 high school sophomores from across the country join one of HOBY's 70 State Leadership Seminars to hone their leadership talents and apply them to become effective, ethical leaders in their home, school, workplace, and community. The tuition is $225 - $450 per candidate.

Perhaps the most engaging project for the Woman's Club of Lake Wales is the establishment of a Juniorette Program. Juniorette Clubs are composed of young women in middle or high school ranging from 12 to 18 years old, who work together to meet the needs of their communities through volunteer service projects. As the youngest members of GFWC Florida Federation of Women's Clubs, the girls learn how to organize and operate their non-profit clubs with rewarding results, and many use their service hours towards scholarships and National Honor Society credits. The program offers fun, friendship, and community service.

Each club has its own personality and determines what is most needed in its home community. All share GFWC Community Service guidelines offering activities in: Arts & Culture, Civic Engagement & Outreach, Education & Libraries, Environment, Health & Wellness. Although this is a volunteer program, there are expenses involved, as is true in running any organization.

The GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales is earnest in their desire to invest in the young female leadership education as a way of nurturing the skill needed to grow into effective leaders in their future field. But they need your help! Want to join in making a difference? The Club is raising money to benefit The GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales, Inc., and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to them. Please visit GoFundMe at https://gf.me/u/y73h7b

More information about GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales, Inc. Since 1914, the GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales has provided community service in the form of charitable donations and service to the community. Down through the years more and more civic and community services have been added to become the organization of today. Areas of service include those in Arts and Culture, Florida Environment, Health and Wellness, Education, and Civic Outreach and Domestic Violence. Over the past 100 years, the Club Women have changed lives each day. For more information call 863-949-0217 or email to womanscluboflakewales@gmail.com