Leadership Training Institute

Leadership Training Institute One of the things that I try to do here is to write a little bit about all the activities/groups that Im involved in at MIT. However, since I seem to always be falling behind in my classes and getting royally owned by incomprehensible orgo mechanisms and whether EMS produces a G to A mutation or a C to A mutation, Ill let someone else tell the story this time :) This is a guest blog from Jia 11, whos the Public Relations Director of LTI (Leadership Training Institute) which Ive also been involved in actually just starting from this semester. Im the Expansion Director for LTI (pretty much the guy that facilitates LTI International like spreading LTI to Mexico), and one of the reasons I joined is that Ive always thought that this organization contained an excellent vision. LTI seeks to introduce the concept of leadership to high school students and to empower them to be effective leaders capable of making a difference. An interesting parallel is that actually MIT also places a huge focus on student leadership and provides many opportunities for students to explore leadership (FLP!, Leadershape, and iHouse! =p). By teaching leadership, college students also get a further understanding of what it actually means by working with these younger students. Its an interesting concept, and I feel like LTI had really blossomed over the last 2 years since its founding. Meh, Ive talked too much, so Ill let Jia take over. :) - Hey! I’m Jia Zhu, a sophomore biology major at MIT. Although my year and a half at MIT has been eventful to say the least, one particular part of my MIT experience has defined my views about service and leadership in a developing world, LTI. Hi Everyone, this is Jia. Jia, this is Everyone. MIT’s Leadership Training Institute is a student-run leadership and service program for Boston-area high school students. The mentoring program has since expanded into Mexico and China and looking to expand into El Salvador, Brazil, and South Africa. I started in LTI as a mentor my freshman year. At the mentor training/bonding sessions before the spring program, the new members had to participate in numerous icebreakers and team building games. I remember how red my face became after I choose to perform a much botched up version of the robot in front of everyone. The program helped me discover that inspiration comes from unexpected places, such as a crazy dance icebreaker. I had the time of my life getting to know other motivated and passionate students who truly wanted to make a difference. When the actual mentoring program started in the spring, I met the most diverse and inspiring young adults. Although I was technically the mentor, I learned equally if not more from the students in the program. Communication, understanding, career development, leadership styles, international development, and a long-term sustainable community service project are just some of the lessons taught in the LTI curriculum. During one session, mentors developed an exaggerated comical skit to showcase how to not interview. The students mimicked a rebellion during a hunger lunch in which half of the students were given dirty water and rice and the other half were given a three-course meal. For a final project, a pair of students organized a volunteer team to eradicate graffiti in the Revere community. Most memorably, the mentors, executive board, and students of LTI developed a community on the basis of leadership, friendship, and service. Last spring, I helped a student who wanted to make a difference in his community write and direct a play to combat drug and violence in his neighborhood. I learned how to relate and communicate about topics completely foreign to me. I learned that to truly inspire others, I may just have to show everyone just “how I get down.” LTI’s curriculum combines self-reflection, service initiatives, and often crazy games to develop the leadership qualities that can create future leaders and sustainable service projects. I helped make one student’s vision a reality in the hopes that his success will motivate others in his community to continue the “Pay it Forward” service initiative. All of us want to change the world, and we all realized that there’s no better way to start than to help one devoted person at a time develop his or her vision. Here’s a LTI student blog entry from a high school student who is currently in the spring 2009 program: “My favorite part of LTI was probably when I caught a real egg with a pair of tongs. I cant catch a ball with two hands, so I felt pretty sweet when I managed to save myself from having to be covered in egg yolks for the rest of the day. Ive enjoyed learning about everyone and their experiences, methods of coping with problems, and overall outlook on life…I have grown so much from LTI. I like thinking about my future in a less stiff manner now. Before the program began, I was set on certain jobs, but now I see that I can take the studies Im interested in to different types of levels. Ive actually learned that this type of field can be integrated into leadership and helping others.” Although we all often get lost in the craziness of MIT, LTI has helped me relax every once in a while and realize why we are all here. We’re here to acquire the knowledge and skills to make a difference in our community, nation, and possibly the world. This program has definitely helped me make a head start on that process. If you want to learn more about our work and opportunities within LTI, come check us out at CPW in two days! See you there :) Build Your Own Sundae! THIS THURSDAY, April 16, 5:00-6:00 PM! Room 4-146 Build your own giant ice cream sundae with MITs Leadership Training Institute! Come learn about community service and our mentoring program with local area high school students. Explore international service opportunities in Mexico, China, and South Africa!Further Reading: Main LTI Blog When LTI sent a team to Mexico (this was over last IAP really interesting read!) Kids working with Picocrickets in Mexico. Leadership Training Institute [by YeSeul Kim 10 and Anne Shen 11] Hello there MIT hopefuls and acceptees! YeSeul Last year, I founded a really cool organization called the Leadership Training Institute (LTI). In high school, I was involved in a similar leadership program. What I appreciated the most was the opportunity to receive guidance and support from great role models, and I wanted to show the same generosity and kindness to others in helping them overcome their obstacles and accomplish their dreams. Humbled, I made it my mission to return the favor but knew that I could not do it alone. I wished to create a program to educate students on the significance of leadership in all aspects of life be it social, academic, technological and relay the concepts of leadership through an interactive curriculum. LTI was thus uniquely designed to empower students to cascade this act of giving. Anne Its true. Of all the leadership roles I took in high school, few ever entailed passing my own experiences on and developing others leadership potentials. Most of the activities I was involved with were along the lines of building houses, playing music at nursing homes, tearing up the soccer field; stuff like that. It was really exciting and indeed made a difference in my own and in other peoples lives. It wasnt until I joined LTI, though, that I realized how much more directly we could contribute to our community by impacting our very neighbors! Last semester, I joined the Board of Directors who were the 2010 founders of the Leadership Training Institute. It was so exciting to be a part of something that had been developed from an idea YeSeul had during finals week because she didnt feel like studying. (I highly dont recommend this though. It doesnt work for everyone.) YeSeul Yes, please study for finals! Back to LTI I dont know if you watched Oprah Winfreys new TV show called the Big Give, but thats the kind of mission LTI is on. LTI strives to instill in our students the four cornerstones of the program: charisma, knowledge, teamwork, and self-reflection. Throughout the program, students develop their own community service to address an issue they perceive in their own communities. LTI then funds their endeavors and supplies them with necessary contacts and resources. Anne Thanks to many MIT students and support from MIT administrators, LTI has moved on from a vision into reality. Last summer, we tested our curriculum through MITs Educational Studies Program: High School Summer Program. Oversubscribed, the program received great interest and feedback from the students. Last semester, we worked hard: having weekly late-night meetings in the study rooms of Baker House, scribbling and idea here, sketching a sweet LTI logo there, coming up with a potential new addition to the curriculum there thought mazes galore would appear on the dry erase board as seven eager and active minds pieced together the skeleton of this mentorship program. From publicity to recruitment, curriculum development to finance, all the aspects of any fully functional and self-sufficient program had to be organized and taken care of. Now, in March, just shy of a year since this program was just an idea, the program is in full swing. YeSeul Today, there is a Board of Directors, five committees, and eight mentors, bringing the total of those involved in LTI to about 20 people. And to think that this program began less than a year ago! The coolest part is that most of our members are freshmen. And you could be the next generation! We are hoping to expand to other college campuses by 2010. This summer, LTI is going global! Semmie (Associate Director), Sarah (Publicity Director), and I are traveling to Mexico this summer through MISTI-Mexico to teach underprivileged youth our leadership curriculum and hopefully create a sustainable partnership between LTI and Casa-Telmex. I will also be traveling to China later in the summer to teach high school Chinese students about leadership through another brand-new program called the China Development Initiative. Anne Theres a lot to do at MIT. In fact, your biggest problem might be deciding which of the hundreds of activities to join once you come to MIT. If you are a high school student who currently lives around the Boston area, shoot us an email at [emailprotected] to see if you are eligible to join us in the fall or get involved somehow. If you are in the Class of 2012, I highly encourage you to check us out at CPW in either the CPW Activities Midway Fair or attend our Info Session on Friday from 4 5 PM in Room 4-145. Keep an eye out for our recruitment emails in the fall. Be a part of our LTI community! YeSeul And you can always visit our website for more information. Anne See you guys during CPW! Dont leave without trying the liquid nitrogen ice cream!! YeSeul Kim, 10 [emailprotected] Anne Shen, 11 [emailprotected]