Leadership and team-building workshop for middle schoolers set

Family Service and Community Mental Health Center for McHenry County announced it will sponsor the seventh annual Mid-Level Institute, to be held Oct. 19-21 at Camp Algonquin.

MLI is a three-day leadership conference for any middle school student in McHenry County and beyond.

The sixth- through eighth-grade participants will learn leadership and team-building skills on a low-ropes teams course, as well as self-empowerment to make healthy choices, from national speakers Jim Dedera and Bill Johnson.

Workshops focusing on prevention/substance abuse awareness and leadership skill-building will be provided by Family Service staff and Dedera.

"Behind the Faces," a dynamic three-screen multi-media presentation, will ask participants to think about the people who have some of the most influence in their lives … their friends.

It teaches them to use their best judgment when it comes to selecting who to call a friend.

"MLI is a highly interactive, educational, and enjoyable weekend designed to help develop leadership skills the participants bring back to their respective schools and share with other students," said Lori Baker, Family Service manager of prevention services.

"It is exciting to see how our participants implement positive prevention ideas in their schools.

"Some have started after-school substance abuse prevention groups and have suggested a speaker to their school who they saw at the Institute."

MLI is staffed by adults and college and high school youth volunteers who want to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

"Along with learning good leadership skills, MLI is also a great way for middle school youth to interact in a positive way with adults and college and high school youth," said Matthew Cullen, Family Service prevention specialist.

"Our staff members are all great role models and treat the participants as equals.

"The fact that all of our youth staff have gone through MLI as participants and are familiar with the program is an added bonus."

For more information regarding MLI 2007, call Lori Baker at (815) 669-2485.