Keystone conference planned for Worcester

The teen program Keystone will host a Northeast Regional Conference in Worcester on Nov. 20-22.

More than 1,000 youth Keystone members will attend the event from Boys & Girls Clubs across the Northeast.

As members of the 2010 National Keystone Conference Steering Committee, teen coordinator Ashlie Brown and 2009 Youth of the Year winner Charles DeLaRosa have played an instrumental role in planning the event.

"We were personally asked by National Boys & Girls Club to assist with setting up the conference. It's been an honor to be a part of such an inspiring event," Brown said.

Keystone is a premier teen leadership program. Founded in 1964, Keystone meets teens' needs for positive group experiences. With the guidance of Boys & Girls Club staff, opportunities are provided for making leadership decisions, experience in academics and careers, and serving others.

Executive director Bill Parks describes the purpose of the program as "helping teens develop good character and effective leadership skills. It's a program that supports the development of productive and responsible teens who will go on to graduate high school, pursue higher education and secure meaningful employment."

The Westfield Club's Keystone group has been working all year to secure funds to send members to the conference.

"Our Keystoners are so proud of their membership to this group that they have been planning and running fundraiser events to raise money so they can attend the conference," said Brown. "We're excited that ten of our teens will be able to participate this year."

The conference will be a mix of fun and educational events and lectures. Attendees will listen to famous guest speakers such as Maria Reyes, one of the original members of the Freedom Writers. There will be informational sessions covering an array of topics, including how to reduce community violence, recognizing dating violence, building healthy habits, stress reduction techniques, combating peer pressure and strengthening public speaking skills and fundraising methods. The conference will also provide entertainment. Saturday night there will be a Boston Harbor dinner cruise and many performance acts from comedians, hip-hop dancers, hypnotists and kick boxers.

Brown said pulling off an event of this caliber has had its challenges but, "the most astonishing fact is it has been the teen Keystoners themselves who have assumed major responsibility for the planning, and they will play an even larger role in conducting the actual conference."

For DeLaRosa, the experience of being a part of such a large event has been more rewarding than he ever expected.

"I learned a lot when we attended the Steering Committee meeting back in March," he said. "It was the first time I was able to interact with peers who I didn't know but shared the same passions as me. We were able to share our stories, work together and stay disciplined to plan this conference. It's nice to know what we've done is going to help other teens. I'm looking forward to seeing all our hard work come into play at the conference. I hope all goes well and those who come can take important knowledge away with them." Jaclyn Parks is development and marketing director for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield, 28 W. Silver St. Founded in 1969, the club provides services and support for 2,000 area youth. For more information, call (413) 562-2301.