Young Leaders Committee
The Safe Haven Project created the Young Leaders Committee (YLC) to provide advanced leadership and development training opportunities for high school students, college age students, and young adults worldwide, including those from Ghana, West Africa; England; and the United States.
Those who participate in YLC do so because they have a passion for public service. They also have the desire to work with Safe Haven because it mirrors their aspiration to be part of a front line organization dedicated to creating a positive lasting change in society.
Members of this program are invited from the hundreds of people who have previously volunteered as staff because have demonstrated exceptional leadership ability to fulfill the goals of the organization.
Safe Haven also invites students who are alumni of the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine who have experienced a Safe Haven speaking engagement while attending the forum. Safe Haven presents to NYLF Forums annually, reaching over 5,000 students at its locations in Boston, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta.
To become effective participants in the Safe Have Project, YLC members work closely with Safe Haven staff experienced in both grass-roots organization and development. In addition, staff members teach and provide members, during an initial three-day retreat, the skills needed to create or expand a Safe Haven Project program that relates to fund raising, public speaking, HIV / AIDS, community awareness, and project development. During their tenure, YLC members also learn about Safe Haven’s history, the reasons behind its creation, and its present and future goals.
Vision
As a result of their commitment to the YLC program, members are asked to volunteer at one of Safe Haven’s domestic or foreign programs and are challenged to establish productive ongoing relationships with young leaders here and abroad.
Safe Haven believes that YLC members, because of their energy and creativity, have unlimited capacity to empower other youth and attract members of their surrounding community. In essence, YLC members are the ambassadors and the future of the Safe Haven Project.
The Young Leaders Committee is lead by Founder & CEO Dave Butler, a nationally recognized leader in education and public health. He has elevated the Safe Haven Project from a local grassroots program for HIV+ youth to a global HIV / AIDS education and outreach organization.