Teens Learn What It Means to Lead at Friendship Circle

The music, neon colors and ’80s outfits may have set the scene, but Teen Leadership Night at Friendship Circle was about much more than going back in time.

Teens gathered for the first Teen Leadership Night of the year to reconnect, laugh and, most importantly, talk about what it really means to be an inclusive leader.

Led by members of Friendship Circle’s Teen Leadership Board, the evening gave teens a chance to think beyond simply showing up to a program. They talked about how to make sure someone feels welcomed into a conversation, how to notice when a person may be standing on the outside and how even a small interaction can make someone feel like they belong.

For Teen Leadership Board member Erinn Kanneo, that is at the heart of what inclusion means.

“Everyone deserves a chance to make meaningful connections and friendships, whether they are small interactions or deeper bonds,” Kanneo said.

Those connections don’t always begin with a big gesture. Sometimes it’s introducing yourself to someone new, making room at the table or asking a person to join the conversation. They are skills teens can use at Friendship Circle, but also at school, in their future workplaces and wherever they find themselves in their communities.

Teen Leadership Board member Aiden Drucker also helped lead the conversation, emphasizing why learning to lead with inclusion matters. For the teens, leadership wasn’t presented as being the loudest person in the room or the person in charge. It was about paying attention to the people around you and helping create a space where everyone has a chance to participate.

And the teens will have plenty of opportunities to put those lessons into practice.

Throughout the night, they shared ideas about what they want to see at Friendship Circle this year and signed up for host committees, giving them a direct role in shaping upcoming programs and experiences.

Of course, it wouldn’t have been an ’80s night without a little fun. Between the conversations were food, neon, plenty of laughs and some attempts at showing off what everyone thought their best ’80s dance moves would have looked like.

But by the end of the night, the biggest takeaway had nothing to do with the decade.

It was something teens can carry with them long after Teen Leadership Night ends: being a leader can start with something as simple as making sure someone else feels like they belong.