Leadership! Leadership! All night long! Leadership! Leadership! All night long! The roof! The roof! The roof is on fire! We don’t need no water, let the leadership burn! Burn leadership, burn! This was just one refrain from the powerful songs, chants and pledge uttered by youth leaders as they participated in the week-long 2015 Twenty First Century (21C)Youth Leadership Camp. Burn leadership, burn.

Leadership burned when youth leaders gathered from across Alabama and other places.  Leadership burned as youth leaders interacted, empowering one another. Leadership burned as youth leaders participated in workshops that ran the gamut from history to conflict resolution to music to art to social action to relationships and more.

Leadership burned when I met with the youth leaders to prepare for the 21C mock legislative session. I did not just talk with them by myself. Three youth leaders who had participated in previous mock legislative sessions helped lead the discussion. They shared their experiences, their understanding, their joys.

Leadership burned as each of the seven teams prepared two or more bills to be presented and debated at the 21C mock legislative session. Some teams prepared as many as four bills.  Twenty-three bills were prepared that ranged from marriage at the age of 13, to banning the sale of cigarettes to voting at age 15, to racial profiling, to requiring drug tests for those receiving public benefits, to legalizing all drugs, to requiring cameras for police officers and more. These youth leaders had their own ideas and voted down most of their own proposals. Just like in real life, they learned it is much easier to kill legislation than it is to pass it.

Leadership burned as the 64 youth and numerous counselors loaded the buses and traveled to Montgomery, entered the Alabama State House, and went to the House of Representatives chambers on the fifth floor. Leadership burned as the youth leaders did the 21C pledge which begins with these words: I am a Twenty First Century leader, I must prepare myself to be the very best that I can be. I must prepare my body, my mind and my spirit.  Leadership burned as the youth leaders sang “I want to Lift My Brother Up, He is Not Heavy.”   Their spirits were high, their voices strong.

Leadership burned as youth leaders arranged themselves around the House of Representatives chamber by team colors — orange, black, blue, red, purple, green and yellow — as advisers were assigned to each group; as the youth readied for the debate of the bills they had conceived in their individual minds and birthed by team effort.

Leadership burned as counselors spent the week with the youth leaders day and night, then traveled to Montgomery and gathered in the House chamber in full support. They gave freely of their time and talent and love.

Leadership burned in the House Chambers as adult leaders came forth — legislators, lobbyists, governmental workers and others. They volunteered to assist each of the seven teams and others elected by the youth such as governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house, clerk, etc. They willingly gave their time, their effort and their expertise.

Leadership burned as the youth presented their bills and then debated them with gusto.  Leadership burned as the youth developed their own approaches, arguments and responses.  The youth did not have occasion to practice or even discuss each other’s bills. They developed their arguments on the run and presented them on the fly.

Leadership burned as youth leaders went to a lunch in the tunnel that connected the State House to the State Capitol and consumed macaroni and cheese, collard greens, chicken, peach cobbler, sweet tea and lemonade. Leadership burned as they returned to the House chambers and performed  their pledge again and sang, “I will not violate your dignity; I will not compromise mine.”

Leadership burned as the youth leaders continued debating their bills into the afternoon. At the conclusion, several of the advisers spoke about how the experience was a gift to them in spite of the fact they were there to give to the youth.

Leadership burned as the youth leaders said thank you in heartfelt words and ringing claps. Leadership burned when they ended the session with the song, “I am a leader, I am a leader, what shall I give? You are a leader, you are a leader, what shall you give? We are leaders, we are leaders, what shall we give?”  Burn leadership, burn.

Leadership is so critical in today’s world. However, we do not teach leadership in elementary school, middle school, high school, college, university or barely anywhere else.

That’s another reason why Twenty First Century Youth Leadership Movement is so critical. Burn leadership, burn.