Townsend
A select group of high school students has been chosen to take part in a program aimed at developing community-oriented leaders.
The Council for Youth Development (CYD) has selected 21 Bartholomew County students in grades 10 through 12 as its 2024-25 Youth Ambassadors.
The 2024-25 ambassadors are as follows:
- Aaron Townsend (sophomore, Columbus East)
- Tari Linnemann (junior, Columbus East)
- Bruna Carreira (junior, Columbus East)
- Ruthie West (junior, Columbus East)
- Asher Stidam (sophomore, Columbus East)
- Raegan Davis-Clark (senior, Columbus East)
- Caitlyn Banks (sophomore, Columbus East)
- Jackson Brookes (senior, Columbus East)
- Keagan Easton (sophomore, Columbus North)
- Diego Fernandez Jimenez (junior, Columbus North)
- Daniella McNeill (senior, Columbus North)
- Mia Aguinaga (senior, Columbus North)
- Sohum Khedkar (junior, Columbus North)
- Mohitha Sathish Kumar (senior, Columbus North)
- Kya Bays (senior, Columbus North)
- Jo Conrad (junior, Columbus Virtual Pathways)
- Paige Finke (junior, CSA New Tech)
- Bea Orben (junior, CSA New Tech)
- Hope Tanner (sophomore, Hauser Senior High School)
- Leah Cloud (senior, Hauser Senior High School)
- Josiah Tipton (senior, Virtual Prep Academy of Indiana Madison-Grant)
The Youth Ambassador program is designed to engage a diverse group of teens to develop their leadership skills and unique talents through evidenced-based lessons and community service, while also using their voice for meaningful civic engagement and personal growth.
Youth Ambassadors are open to diversity, empathetic, excited about change and a leader amongst their peers, whether quietly or noticeably, according to CYD’s website.
Those selected are responsible for attending 75% of weekly CYD meetings and activities over the course of the year and must also complete more than 20 hours of community service.
The big ticket items they help plan and participate in every year include an annual Youth Ambassador Retreat, International Youth Day, Spark Spirit Week, Global Service Day and this coming spring’s Youth Empowerment Summit.
Soon, the ambassadors will take part in their Shine On campaign, set for August 3 as part of International Youth Day. Shine On is meant to promote positivity through writing empowering messages on the back of youth-designed postcards to other youth in the community.
Spark Spirit Week returns next month, running from September 16 to September 20. The week is dedicated to helping youth explore their interests and help discover their ‘sparks’ — Youth Ambassadors will be attending local middle schools to interact with middle school students and engage them with activities.
More information can be found at cydbartholomew.org.
