Student Leadership Development Candidates Receive Civics Lessons

After a tiresome morning cleaning up trash from the river and volunteering, the SLDI began their tour around New Bridge Middle visiting different rooms and listening to lectures and performances by a variety of individuals. All of these meetings instilled important and educational ideas and thoughts in their heads. Important lessons would be learned and future decisions could be aided with the new information acquired today. Some meetings included how to handle legal situations and some also were beneficial in informing the future plans of Jacksonville.

Civics 101 • By: Nicola Chernetski
Ken Hagan lectured the Leadership Institute candidates on real life civics. “Get involved in your local government wherever you are. As a tax payer... you should get involved.” Hagan continued with, “Nothing happens until you make changes... nothing changes unless you get involved. And oh, by the way, you’re doing that this week. Did anybody make you do this [attend Sturgeon City Camp]? Didn’t think so.” Hannah Smith, a Swansboro High School student, said, “I did not know that city government was the lowest form of government.” Smith can rest assured now that she knows, too. For, anything she wants to change she can.



Planning for our future • By: Chelsea Overs
Developing our community’s growth is a vital aspect for the newest generation to acknowledge. Guest speakers Wally Hansen, transportation planner of Jacksonville and Brian Pensak, the executive director of B.O.L.D, came to visit institute members about the future of Jacksonville. Jacksonville is the second fastest growing city in North Carolina, and in the next few years we will be able to show the excitement and anticipation of the new arrivals in our area. It is estimated that in 2035 that the Highway 17 overpass subdivision will be complete adding to our city ordinance and taking us closer to Wilmington. Speaker Wally Hansen stated the main plans for the future included new subdivisions, businesses, roads and other corporations ready to storm Jacksonville. As for downtown it can only grow, speaker Brian Pensak has been working on the development of B.O.L.D. (bettering our local downtown). Pensak said, “B.O.L.D. is one of the many programs that is really doing a lot for our local downtown, the potential for downtown will only be bright.”

Youth and the Law • By: Jessie Hoge
Herold Hall, a magistrate judge otherwise known as a lower court judge, was giving a lesson on just what would happen if someone was to get arrested and the steps they would go about to arrest the suspect. Once you got your fingerprints taken, you then would walk down the hallways to meet the magistrate; he is the one that determines whether or not you were arrested under probable causes. If you were then he would issue your warrant and then make your release conditions. If the arrest is not made under probable causes then he will un-arrest you. After the arrest, to be released he gives you a bond-in other words a way to make sure you’ll come back to court. There are three ways to go about reimbursing the bond: give a post for your property-making it so that if you don’t come back he gets it, to hire a bondsman or a man that would help you pay your bond back to the county while being paid 15% or your bond, and paying your bond in full. When you pay your bond in full, you receive it all back excluding court loss and fines. A magistrate can also issue search warrants, marry people, and commit people in to mental health institutions. The steps to arrest all lead to the magistrate lets hope we never have to walk them.

Empowerment through Leadership • By: Kayla Pearson
Through the help of skits, the young leaders put together a seminar on youth empowerment. The first skit was designed to show the SLDI students how to conduct a meeting. Four important points were given throughout the presentation: to always stay at the meeting, be predates running for the president of Sturgeon City. One candidate was an advocate for volunteerism and stressed the importance of getting involved. He pointed out that by volunteering a person can learn life lessons and can get practice in a field he or she may be interested in. The other candidate thought that volunteering was pointless and someone should not do any type of work for no pay. At the conclusion of the skit a discussion was held and the leaders pointed out that there is actually a difference between community service and volunteerism: a person receives some type of reward from community service, such as SAT hours, while a person who volunteers does it for that warm fuzzy feeling you get inside. Finally, a power point was shown on self-empowerment which is simply taking charge of your own life. Five self-empowered a person must develop a sense of pride, know what they want to do and have the will to do it, and promise to carry out the vision. The discussion group wrapped up when the leaders revealed that conducting a meeting, volunteerism, and self-empowerment all have one thing in common: leadership.

Group Processes • By: Sharpe Williams
In room 201, Dr. Don Herring instructed fellows on how to be a participant and to get along with others. He discussed the pros and cons of different college studies. As student Mia Varhies stated, “He talked to us about community colleges.” All in all, fellows learned how the government works, how to be a meaningful member of society, how to participate, how to work on relationship building, and how to conduct a meeting.