From building rock dams to raising teepees, members of the Four Corners Youth Leadership Council (FCYLC) are getting leadership in the region rolling.

Over a weekend in July the Four Corners Regional Office hosted their first-ever regional Youth Leadership Retreat at Wind River Ranch near Las Vegas, New Mexico. Roots & Shoots "veteran" and "rookie" Youth Leaders went to the retreat to get to know each other and come up with action plans for the future.

"[Wind River Ranch is] so gorgeous," said FCYLC member Akilah S., 14, of Cedar Crest, New Mexico. "It's really one of the best places on Earth."

Upon arrival, participants worked with Native Americans of the Jicarilla Apache Nation to build two teepees. The Youth Leaders slept in the teepees over the weekend and helped take them down at the end of the retreat. The Jicarilla (pronounced hek-a-REH-ya) Apache individuals taught the Youth Leaders about the different types of leadership, how they relate to the four cardinal directions and why each one is important. For example, people who lead with their emotions are "East," and people who are headstrong leaders are "North."

Retreat participants brainstormed ideas on how to mentor younger groups, start campaigns, participate in national movements and attend more conferences. They used Reason for Hope by Dr. Jane and Great Peace Makers: True Stories from Around the World by Heather Chase and Ken Beller as guides for their discussions.
Later, they broke into small groups to practice planning a campaign.

"We talked in these groups about what our campaign's mission would be, whom we'd talk to, what we'd do and what goals we'd set," Akilah said. "It was a neat exercise, because it forced us to come up with all the necessary details for a real campaign."

The FCYLC members not only put their minds to work, but their hands too. They completed a service-learning project focused on habitat restoration and erosion control on Wind River Ranch stream.

The retreat was a major hit, and the Youth Leaders are now excited about and prepared to get moving on regional projects.

"One of the greatest parts was getting to meet other kids my age who care as much as I do," Akilah said. "People like that are hard to come by. It was one of the best feelings of my life."

Do you live in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico or Utah? Contact the Four Corners Regional Office or find a group close to you in the region!