Day 1...SUCCESS!!!

Hey all you moms, dads, grandparents, friends, fans, followers, supporters...Welcome to the 2010 YLOK Class X official blog! I hope this tool will be useful to you, as it is definitely a fun way for me to reflect on the day's activities. I have my Dr. Pepper in hand and am ready to let you know how AWESOME all of the new participants are! They truly have been remarkable this first day.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kurt Cockran, a soon-to-be junior at the University of Oklahoma (BOOMER!!!). I am serving as the Americorps chaperone. I was a participant in YLOK Class VII (yes, three years ago) and served in this capacity as the Americorps chaperone last year as well for Class IX. I absolutely love the time I have spent in this position the last two years and can't imagine better people to work alongside, as well as those I get to know in the program! Enough about me...

Youth Leadership Oklahoma is the youth branch of Leadership Oklahoma, founded in 1986. For more information on Leadership Oklahoma, visit the website.

Today the 50+ members of YLOK Class X and their families made their way to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art where Mary Mélon, the immediate past chair of Leadership Oklahoma and President and Publisher at The Journal Record, welcomed the new class and presented the history of YLOK, and the mission Leadership Oklahoma undertook in 2001. Bill Andoe, Chair of Youth Leadership Oklahoma and Director of Fine Arts at the Cherokee Nation, then spoke on what the week ahead looks like. After each new member of Class X introduced themselves, Madison Mélon, YLOK Class VI graduate, spoke briefly on her experience as a participant, and what she's been able to take away from the experience after going through the program herself. Finally, Ann Ackerman, CEO of Leadership Oklahoma, spoke on the expectations and introduced the remaining chaperones: myself, and Casi Peters, a high school English teacher who chaperoned the program in 2007 and 2008. After saying goodbye to their families, the class gathered together for a few icebreakers, including telling their role models and the most interesting thing about themselves (for example, I mentioned how I made a hole-in-one last week!).

Dinner was then served by the museum; a scrumptious lasagna buffet! Following dinner, Zac Stevens, Director of Orientation Programs at the University of Oklahoma, stopped by and led an ever popular U-Zoo activity, in which participants learned how we all have different leadership styles, and interact differently with people of other leadership styles. The activity itself related 4 certain leadership types to zoo animals. I'm personally an eagle with a little bit of porpoise. Afterwards we loaded up the beautiful Time Lines charter bus and headed to the Hampton Inn-Bricktown, where we wrapped up and even had a little pool and hang out time!

Tomorrow we head to Norman for a ropes course challenge and a presentation by Renzi Stone, founder and CEO of Saxum PR in Oklahoma City. Stay tuned!

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