Teen Leaders Meet and Compete to Become State Youth of the Year

Madison – On Monday March 10th, seventeen regional teen winners will come together to compete for Boys & Girls Clubs ‘State Youth of the Year’, the highest honor given to a club member. The Packers, Brewers Bucks and Operating Engineers #139 will award $25,000 in Home Team Scholarships, and the finalist will go on to represent Wisconsin at the Midwest competition. On Tuesday, these leaders will meet with the Attorney General, the Supreme Court and their own state legislators to share policy aspirations and concerns.

Youth of the Year brings together the state’s best and brightest teen members, as the club’s signature effort to foster a new generation of leaders. Wisconsin clubs work with over 125,800 youth at 203 sites across 77 communities, and local competitions recently narrowed the field down to these seventeen finalists. Youth will gather with eleven esteemed judges on Capitol Square, where they will be evaluated on presentation, speeches and interviews. The evening culminates in an Awards Gala at the Premier Park Hotel at 6:00 om Monday March 10th.

The stars of the dinner program are the top five finalists chosen earlier that day. The MC of the Awards is club alumni Bianca Martin, host of the award-winning, daily news talk podcast City Cast Madison. In previous years, youth met with Emmy Award winner Charlie Berens, NFL Club Alumni Melvin Gordon, Bucks Superstar Sidney Moncrief, and BGCA National Board Chair Chris Abele.

On Tuesday, youth will visit with State Legislators, the Supreme Court, and the Attorney General to discuss issues of interest to their generation, including mental health and substance abuse prevention. Finalists are also expected to speak from the Assembly Chambers in the State Capitol on Tuesday, March 11th at 9:00 a.m.

Wisconsin clubs serve more kids per population than any other state in the country, and more youth than any other organization outside of the public school system. Clubs also serve two million meals and snacks each year at no cost, because it’s hard to learn and grow when you’re hungry. For more information, including the list of finalists and judging panel, visit www.bgcwisconsin.org/youth-of-the-year-award

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.