Junior Congressional Youth Leadership Conference

Kid Reporter Jacob Wiseneck attended a three-day conference called the Junior Congressional Youth Leadership Conference during the Inauguration. He summed up his very busy trip to Washington, D.C., in the blog entries below.

Day 1

Wow! Finally after all the waiting the JrPYIC has arrived and kid scholars from all across the country are flocking to Washington, D.C., to take part in the conference and witness the nation's 44th President take the Oath of office.

The Conference started on January 18^th with people from all across the country arriving throughout the day so we could get the “party” started.  The first night was full of excitement as the 3,000 scholars packed into the ballroom of the famous Hilton Washington for a full dinner and to hear an inspirational speech from the blind mountain climber Erik Weihenmayer. Erik is the first and youngest blind man to climb all the seven summits.

This morning we were all up at the early time of 5:30 a.m. for breakfast so that we would be at the University of Maryland at 8 a.m. to hear a speech from United States ex-Secutary of State, Collen Powell.

Powell talked about the importance of leadership on the road to success. After the motivational talk we broke up into our presidential groups for meetings in which we discussed the many responsibilities of the President of the United States. Then we came back to the hotel for a viewing of the inaugural opening ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial. 

Day 2
Another exiting jammed packed day took place today here at the Junior Congressional Youth Leadership Conference (www.cylc.org/jrpyic) and the action does not seem to be anywhere near slowing down.
Today everyone was a little more energized after a longer night’s sleep to prepare us for the full day. After eating a light box breakfast, the group headed down to the Potomac River for a breakfast buffet river cruise.

After the journey down the icy river, the group headed to the University of Maryland where we would spend the rest of the day. We arrived on the campus for lunch, then headed to the field house where we heard a moving speech from former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore.
After Gore’s speech, everyone split into group meetings to talk about leadership qualities in past presidents.

After dinner that evening, we returned to the field house to watch a movie: “The Third Monday in October.” That was followed by a question and answer session with the cast members, which was moderated by President Clinton’s White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers.

Day 3

Wow! Today was such a fabulous day here at the Junior Congressional Youth Leadership Conference, Inauguration Day was the capstone of our trip and it couldn’t have been a more perfect day.

After a very early wake up call and breakfast, our group departed for the National Air and Space Museum where we had a hot chocolate reception and meet and greet event with a group of astronauts.

After exploring the museum, we filed out to the National Mall where we claimed our spot for the day’s ceremonies. Even though we did not have the best view of the capitol building, we were able to see the action on giant TV screens placed along the mall. It was a very emotional event for many people.

After the Inauguration we ate a late lunch at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel. We were able to watch the inaugural parade from the hotel, which is on the parade route.

Then it was time to get ready for the evening's festivities.  After quickly changing, we all boarded the buses to our inaugural gala. It was a great night full of dancing, food, and music.

I can not believe that the conference is almost over as I have enjoyed my time here so much and I do not want it to end.

Comments

[Diana]

Loved jrpyic it was awsome