Imagine you are a high schooler in Saginaw, and many of your teenage peers are expressing desires to “get out of here” ASAP, before their adult lives take hold. Maybe you have felt those same feelings now and then.
Then you learn of a new opportunity via the Saginaw County Youth Ambassador Program, overseen at the Saginaw Career Complex through the Intermediate School District, SISD, and the Chamber of Commerce’s PartnerShift outreach with local schools and businesses.
“Our experience helps us know our county better and teaches us how to tell our story with confidence,” says Youth Ambassador Aidan Kelley of St. Charles.
Frankenmuth’s Youth Ambassador Kennedy Sutherland adds, “The first year of training focused on communication and leadership development to prepare us to get the message across to our peers.”
This is a three-year leadership development program that students apply for with the endorsement of their local districts. Up to two students per district may be selected.
Year one includes self-awareness, leadership development, social responsibility, and effective communication skills, including Dale Carnegie training.
The second year is a “junior leadership Saginaw” experience, helping students to learn about their home community.
Year three is the “ambassador year,” whereby students will take on a leadership role in making use of all they have learned to help promote Saginaw County to their peers as a great place to live, work, and play.
Twenty-four students have taken up this commitment as the first Youth Ambassador Cohort, and they haven’t backed down in the face of occasional skepticism, even sarcasm.
Diverse perspectives
All 12 of Saginaw County’s local school districts have student participation — Birch Run, Bridgeport, Carrollton, Chesaning, Frankenmuth, Freeland, Hemlock, Merrill, Saginaw City, Saginaw Township, St. Charles and Swan Valley.
Students in the Youth Ambassador Program meet monthly to develop their leadership skills and knowledge of Saginaw County. Whether meeting at the Saginaw ISD, the Saginaw Career Complex (formerly COC, Career Opportunities Center, a successor to what old-timers may recall as the old Arthur Hill Tech), or often offsite at various Saginaw service organizations, public services, businesses, and points of interest
It’s never easy when the message so often must combat stereotypes and negative exaggerations regarding Rust Belt, abandoned neighborhoods, perceptions of nothing to do, no jobs, no culture, and crime.
That’s why the SISD’s Jenny Geno, executive director of career and technical education, and Tina Bacigalupo, career counselor consultant and program coordinator, have made sure the enrollees received plenty of prep time for their roles in the first-time venture.
Some students are the products of Saginaw-born parents or even grandparents, which makes them somewhat more attached with a stronger desire to remain. All say they have learned so much more about Saginaw County and it’s local history with field trips to an array of locations, with assistance from Saginaw ISD Coordinator of Business Partnerships, Ann Marie Batkoski
Sites have included Hoyt Library, the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, SVRC Marketplace, the Dow Event Center, Pit and Balcony, SVSU’s Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum, the Saginaw County Courthouse and Jail, MMR, the Saginaw Police Department, United Way of Saginaw County, the READ Association, Saginaw’s Eastside Soup Kitchen, the Youth Protection Council, Local 85 Training Center, Saginaw Valley State University, Saginaw’s Downtown Delta College Campus and Firefigters Training Center.
Local businesses that have enlisted are Amigo Mobility, Star of the West, and the Bavarian Inn. Students also attended a high-adventure leadership and team-building day at the GASC Base Camp in Genesee County.
“Connecting the Youth Ambassadors with community mentors from the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professional’s Network is an essential part of the vision,” Geno says, offering thanks to mentors Steve Hensley (Saginaw County Chamber), Zach Moulton (RWS Financial Group), Mitch Piper (Braun Kendrick), Kyle Dewees (Valley Lutheran High School), Julie Tacktor (Cumulus Media), and Amy Pitts (Gohm Insurance Restoration).
Program partners are also influential mentors to the Youth Ambassadors, including Wendy Groll (Dale Carnegie), Jordan Thieme (Amigo Mobility), Samantha Jones (Partnershift Network), Dennis Barlow (Saginaw ISD), Ann Marie Batkoski (Saginaw ISD), Susan Moody (Wildfire Credit Union), Veronica Horn (Saginaw County Chamber), and Phil Eich (Founder of Storyville Social — Full Steam Media), as well as the many inspirational community and business leaders who’ve graciously hosted the students this year.
Shy? A Dale Carnegie outlook
Each student received a startup scholarship for a three-day Dale Carnegie Teen Program, which offers “the opportunity to learn and develop sought-after leadership skills through a unique, comprehensive program designed to prepare them for promoting community services and the many benefits of living in Saginaw.”
“My confidence has grown tremendously,” Aidan says, referring to the public speaking emphasis for which Dale Carnegie training is best known.
After two years with new countywide classmates, heading for the climactic third, Kennedy explains, “We have really grown individually and as a team – we’ve become more like brothers and sisters.”
The Youth Ambassadors will meet with mentors throughout the summer as they prepare their Saginaw County promotional campaign in Fall 2022.
Bacigalupo shared, “We are so very proud of this first cohort of Youth Ambassadors as they have already begun making a difference for their peers in Saginaw County. They are using their voices to advocate for more mental health education and mental health resource accessibility in schools. They are truly passionate about helping others live their best life – right here in Saginaw County!”
Following is a list of the first Cohort of Saginaw County Youth Ambassadors, currently high school juniors, who refer to themselves as Team FIBO, “First In and Best Out.”
- Kennedy Aldrich and Owen Quinnan, Birch Run High School
- A’yanna Trice, Bridgeport High School
- Courtney Ayotte and Kennedy Campos, Carrollton High School
- Bryn Mahoney and Emily Smith, Chesaning High School
- Mia Fahrenbruch and Kennedy Sutherland, Frankenmuth High School
- Jonathan Leiter and Alexis Ritter, Freeland High School
- Kahl Mallek and Luke Premo, Hemlock High School
- Mason Ordway, Merrill High School
- Aidan Kelley and Laina Harger, St. Charles High School
- Tornarus Johnson, Saginaw High School
- Lionel Baldwin, Saginaw Arthur Hill High School
- Demiyah Barlow, Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy
- Zori Rasco and ChristGiles Yarn, Saginaw Township Heritage High School
- Jackson Beery and Matthew McKim, Swan Valley High School
