>>>
>>> WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE. THOUSANDS OF TEENS FROM THE
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB WILL BE IN
ATLANTA FOR THEIR ANNUAL
KEYSTONE CONFERENCE.
KEYSTONE CONFERENCE. STUDENTS PARTICIPATING WILL
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN
MORE ABOUT LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY SERVICE,
AND SO MUCH MORE.
JOINING ME NOW TO TALK ABOUT
THE CONFERENCE IS KARISSA
JACKSON AND CORY SEALS FROM THE
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF METRO
ATLANTA.
ATLANTA.
ATLANTA. WELCOME.
WELCOME.
WELCOME. >> HI, NICE TO MEET YOU.
>> IT IS SO GREAT TO MEET YOU.
WHAT AN AMAZING THING.
YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THIS
WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION.
WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION. BEFORE WE GET TO THE
CONFERENCE, LET'S TALK ABOUT
HOW LONG YOU HAVE BEEN
INVOLVED.
INVOLVED.
INVOLVED. >> I'VE BEEN GOING TO THE BOYS
AND GIRLS CLUB SINCE I WAS YIN
YEARS OLD.
YEARS OLD. >> HOW OLD ARE YOU NOW?
>> I'LL BE 18 IN SEPTEMBER.
>> FANTASTIC.
>> FANTASTIC. >> AN ADULT.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. [
>> YES. [ LAUGHTER ]
>> YOUR MOM'S OVER THERE GOING
OH, BOY.
OH, BOY.
OH, BOY. >> AND HOW ABOUT YOU?
>> I'VE BEEN GOING TO THE CLUB
SINCE 5th GRADE.
I JUST GRADUATED THIS YEAR SO
IT'S GOING ON EIGHT YEARS NOW.
>> CONGRATULATIONS.
>> CONGRATULATIONS. THIS KEYSTONE CONFERENCE IS
GOING TO HOST OVER 2,000 TEENS
ALL ACROSS THE NATION.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE MISSION
OF THE GATHERING.
>> SO CORY, DO YOU WANT TO IN.
>> SO WE'RE DOING THE KEYSTONE
CONFERENCE, WHICH IS A
LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE PROGRAM
WITHIN THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS
OF AMERICA, AND SO THIS
CONFERENCE THIS YEAR OUR THEME
IS IGNITE CHANGE.
WE'RE EMPOWERING OUR TEENS TO
BE CATALYSTS FOR CHANGE IN
AMERICA DEALING WITH DIFFERENT
DIVERSITY AND TOLERANCE ISSUES
WITH CULTURAL BACKGROUND
DIFFERENCES, RACIAL ETHNIC
DIFFERENCES AND THE LGBTQ PLUS
COMMUNITIES WITHIN OUR TEENS IN
AMERICA.
AMERICA.
AMERICA. >> GOOD FOR YOU.
THAT SOUNDS INCREDIBLE.
AND SO NEEDED RIGHT NOW.
AND I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A
PANEL DISCUSSION ALSO UNITED WE
STAND, THAT'S HAPPENING TODAY.
WHAT WILL YOU COVER IN THAT
PARTICULAR DISCUSSION?
PARTICULAR DISCUSSION? >> WE'LL BE COVERING BASICALLY
ALL THOSE TOPICS, BASICALLY
TRYING TO IGNITE THE DIALOGUE
BETWEEN OUR TEENS AND BASICALLY
ALL THE CHILDREN IN AMERICA
THAT ARE BEING ABLE TO -- SO
THAT THEY CAN SEE THE REAL
PROBLEMS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN
THE WORLD AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE
ADDRESSED SO THAT WE CAN GET ON
AND MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER
PLACE FOR THE YOUTH THAT ARE
COMING BEHIND US.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. IT WILL BE SO NEAT TO HEAR THE
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES FROM ALL
OVER THE COUNTRY.
I THINK WE'LL FIND AND LEARN AS
ALWAYS THAT OUR STORIES WERE
VERY MUCH THE SAME.
WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS
TOGETHER TO GET TO A PLACE WE
CAN ACTUALLY OVERCOME A LOT OF
THESE ISSUES.
THESE ISSUES. WHAT DO YOU PERSONALLY, WHAT DO
YOU GUYS HOPE TO LEARN?
>> BASICALLY HOW TO MAKE MY
KEYSTONE A BETTER KEYSTONE AND
NOT ONLY MAKING MY KEYSTONE A
BETTER KEYSTONE BUT EMPOWERING
OTHER CLUBS TO HAVE A KEYSTONE
AND WANTING TO COME TO
NATIONALS.
NATIONALS. SOMETIMES NOT EVERYONE GETS TO
COME.
COME.
COME. THAT'S IMPORTANT.
THAT'S IMPORTANT. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR YOUTH TO
SEE THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN
JUST -- THERE'S MORE THAN JUST
BEING AT HOME ALL DAY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> BEING ON YOUR ELECTRONICS.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE NO
MATTER HOW SMALL IT IS.
THAT'S WHAT REALLY MATTERS.
>> GOOD.
>> GOOD.
>> GOOD. TALK TO ME MORE ABOUT THAT
PARTNERSHIP AND REALLY WHAT IT
MEANS AND SIGNIFIES FOR THE
ORGANIZATION.
ORGANIZATION. >> AARON'S IS A REALLY, REALLY
IMPORTANT SPONSOR OF OURS.
IT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST
SPONSORS THAT WE HAVE FOR BOYS
AND GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA.
THEY'VE ALSO EXPANDED THEIR
PARTNERSHIP WITH US RECENTLY,
AND THEY'VE REALLY JUST HELPED
US BUILD UP OUR TEAMS LITERALLY
AND FIGURATIVELY WITH HELPING
US WITH THE KEYSTONE
CONFERENCES AND ALSO REBUILDING
AND REFURNISHING CLUBS
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
WE'VE REFURNISHED AND REBUILT
29 CLUBS THUS FAR INCLUDING ONE
OF ATLANTA'S OWN BOYS AND GIRLS
CLUB.
CLUB.
CLUB. >>
CLUB. >> AND LAWRENCEVILLE.
>> SHOUTOUT TO LAWRENCEVILLE.
FOR YOU TWO PERSONALLY, YOU
KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THAT
THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN JUST
SITTING AROUND AT HOME IN THE
AFTERNOONS OR BEING WITH YOUR
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS. YOU ARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS, BUT
YOU'RE WORKING IN A BIGGER
PICTURE OF MAKING THE WORLD A
BETTER PLACE.
BETTER PLACE. IN YOUR NINE YEARS AND YOUR
DECADE OF REALLY BEING INVOLVED
IN THIS, WHAT HAS IT MEANT TO
YOU?
YOU?
YOU? >>
YOU? >> WHEN YOU'RE YOUNGER YOU'RE
COME TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB
MOSTLY BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> BUT I THINK THAT YOU'RE
COMING TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS
CLUB NOW WHEN YOU'RE A TEEN
BECAUSE YOU WANT TO.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO BE
ABLE TO GROW AS A PERSON AND
THAT'S WHAT IT DOES.
IT FOSTERS CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE.
I LOVE THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB
SO MUCH AND I'M SO GLAD I HAVE
THEM AS MY FAMILY.
>> THAT IS ABSOLUTELY
INCREDIBLE.
INCREDIBLE. A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE MAY
NOT REALIZE THE IMPACT THAT THE
CLUB MAKES ON OUR YOUTH.
IS THERE A PARTICULAR
INDIVIDUAL OR STORY THAT STICKS
OUT IN YOUR MIND YOU LIKE TO
SHARE?
SHARE?
SHARE? >>
SHARE? >> SO I CAME TO THE CLUB IN 5th
GRADE, KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF
IT I WAS DEALING SOME BULLYING
ISSUES AT SCHOOL, AND ONE OF
THE MAIN PARTS OF MY SPEAKING,
MY SPEECH FOR BEING YOUTH OF
THE YEAR, ONE OF THE YOUTH OF
THE YEARS FOR METRO ATLANTA.
>> CONGRATULATIONS.
>> CONGRATULATIONS. >> THANK YOU.
WAS THAT REALLY INTEGRAL PART
THAT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB
PLAYED IN REBUILDING MY SELF-
CONFIDENCE THROUGH THE ARTS AND
IN OTHER AREAS.
SO BIG SHOUTOUT TO THE SAMUEL
L. JONES BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB.
>> QUICKLY, I KNOW WE HAVE TO
RAP.
RAP.
RAP. ANYONE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY
THANK YOU TO.
>> MY MOMMY AND MS. LEAH
WILLING.
WILLING.
WILLING. >> WE APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH,
NOT JUST TO THE CHILDREN BUT
ALSO TO ADULTS SEEING THE GREAT
WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT
HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
HAVE A GREAT TIME AT THE
CONFERENCE AND IF YOU WOULD
LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT