United Voice: Camp Aims To Uplift Next Generation Of Leaders

A local camp is working to inspire the next generation of leaders.

The ASCEND camp is made up of mostly minority high school students who aim to make an important contribution to the community.

The teens are already leaders in their schools and neighborhoods, but by bringing them together, organizers hope to push them to even greater heights.

Dressed for success, about two dozen local high schoolers kicked off the ASCEND leadership camp last Friday with a meet-and-greet at the Aloft Hotel downtown.

 “It’s good to mix with people and be in an environment that you’re not used to and get out of your comfort zone. That’s how we learn,” 14-year-old Jones High School student Michael Chapple said.

Chapple is a self-proclaimed introvert but takes his role on the Jones High student council very seriously. Coming from an area where not many people look like him makes this opportunity even more important.

 “It’s really difficult to get eagles to flock together, so we’ve got a really special group of kids together, and what we want to do is, as a group, really be able to challenge them and to encourage them to utilize the capacity that is on the inside of them,” Executive Director of the camp Stephan Moore said.

The four-day retreat is a branch of the Shiloh Camp, which inspires young children to get outdoors within city limits.

These students however, went to Kingfisher to exercise their leadership skills through a variety of activities, even hearing from Senator James Lankford.

16-year-old Victoria Atolagbe, a Classen SAS student who aspires to be a speech pathologist, says this experience will allow her to better help people in society communicate their ideas.

Read Also: United Voice: Impact Of Teacher Walkout On Minority Communities Significant

Editor’s Note: News 9 is part of a local initiative that brings all of our local media outlets together to give Oklahoma a United Voice in promoting a healthy dialogue on race. To see more stories, visit UnitedVoiceOK.org.