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Key Leader kicks off another busy year

Stymied temporarily by a Key Leader challenge, students brainstorm ideas to find a solution and complete the assignment.

Key Leader staff and facilitators are gearing up for what is certain to be a busy season.

Stymied temporarily by a Key Leader challenge, students brainstorm ideas to find a solution and complete the assignment.

What proved to be a success this past year—31 events in three countries and more than 1,000 participants—promises to be even bigger and better this year with 53 events in four countries, including the United States, Canada, Malaysia, and, possibly, Panama.

Key Leader events are open to Key Club members and nonmembers alike. Key Leader program manager Dick Peterson says enrollment has included almost exactly half Key Clubbers and half nonmembers.

“It’s a tremendous outreach opportunity for clubs not currently sponsoring youth programs,” says Dick, who adds that on at least two occasions nonmembers, enthused by their Key Leader experience, returned home with the determination to open Key Clubs in their schools.

So far this year, some of the highlights have included:

• Key Leader staff conducted a site visit in Panama, the first trip of its kind to that country, this past May. Staff worked with a team of volunteers for a hopeful event that would take place sometime in August.
• Two Key Leader events were staged on college campuses. Key Leader visited Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas, June 9-11, and Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, June 16-18.
• Key Leader headed to Malaysia June 9-11. This was the second visit to Malaysia but this time the event was an exclusive Key Leader event, using facilitators from Malaysia.
• Key Leader staged the Key Leader Preview Event in Boston during the 63rd Annual Key Club International Convention on July 2. Attendees skipped over to Thompson Island in Boston harbor for the daylong event, which was exclusive to Key Clubbers in the graduating class of 2008 and 2009 who arrived early for the convention and did not attend pre-convention training or meetings.

For more information about all the year’s upcoming events, including an interactive map of upcoming Key Leader event locations, check the Key Leader Web site. Key Leader event registration is available exclusively online, so make sure to go to the Web site early enough to secure a spot for young leaders in your community.