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[music] >>NARRATOR: Anytown Youth Leadership Institute Celebrating its 20th anniversary
of developing the next generation of leaders in social justice. >>RANDY SUE: Anytown I
first heard of actually through our daughter Katherine who attended it last summer. And
she had a friend that had attended several years before. And she said ‘Mom, when I
get older I want to go to Anytown.’
And I was like, ‘What is Anytown?’
>>NARRATOR: Anytown is an 8-day overnight summer camp that prepares youth to become
leaders of social justice. With over 80 years of history, NCCJSTL has been St. Louis’s
leading provider of diversity training.
>>KEITH: Anytown, you know, I’m not going to say that it’s a cure for society’s
ills. But I definitely believe
that one person, one student, one adult at a time, there can be a lot of healing going
on. >>NARRATOR: Anytown changes the way you see
the world. >>DEE: It just gives you a good sense about
yourself. And when you have a good sense about yourself and you’ve kind of figured out
a little bit more of who you are and what you want to do, you have a better outlook
on life period. And it makes you want to do better. So now I get up in the morning and
I want to go to school, I want to learn, I want to see how far I can push myself. >>KAT:
It makes you more aware, and you start analyzing things more, and then realize that oh, I guess
I have a lot of issues I still need to work on after the thing. >>NARRATOR: Anytown promotes
positive friendships. >>NATE: I feel like everyone goes into it very open. They’re
open with each other, they’re open about themselves, so it allows for strong bonds
to be made immediately. >>MARTESHA: What I took from the whole experience,
this is what I tell people,
I want to break the silence. I want to speak for the silence. So those who are afraid and
think they just can’t come out of their shell, I want to be there for them and let
them know they have somebody. >>NARRATOR: Anytown staff provide care, support, and expertise.
>>EMILY: We really believe in having a high staff-to-student ratio. We have about two
to three students per staff member. And we are full believers in giving a lot of training
to our staff ahead of Anytown. So before staff even start working with youth at Anytown,
they’ve had over forty hours of training with us.
>>DEE: They really know what they’re talking about.
And they’re serious about it.
And they really want this, to try to change the way society is.
>>MARTESHA: I’m an alumni because of some staff saying ‘It’s gonna be OK. You can
make it. Let’s just come over here and let’s just take a break.’ So staff really support
you. They know what you’re going through. Half of them are alumni so they’re not just
saying ‘Oh, sit here.’ They’ve been through the experience. So that really makes
you feel better, just open. >>NARRATOR: What Anytown staff and participants want to tell
you. >>BRITTANY: I didn’t have the chance when I was younger, and I feel like doors
would’ve opened sooner and I would’ve seen things differently. >>NATE: If you’re
considering going, you should go. If you’re worried about how much time it’s going to
take, it’s literally one week in your summer. Summer’s three months. It’s worth it.
>>KAT: The more you push yourself into the discomfort, the more you’re going to learn
from it. It’s something that everybody who’s in high school needs to do, and if you’re
already out of high school there’s adult programs. >>MARTESHA: Come to Anytown! I love
Anytown. [laughter] >>NARRATOR: For more information, visit our website, NCCJSTL.org