A Lander Youth Group Teaches Social Skills While Building Intergenerational Connections

Following the shutdown of many activities due to COVID-19 restrictions, a group of Lander established the Lander Community Youth Group to provide a sense of normalcy and connection through events like dances and banquets. They observed, though, that the young people who attended the events would benefit from a little help in social skills and etiquette training, so they would feel more comfortable going to formal events. As part of that training, the parents also saw the opportunity to build intergenerational connections and opportunities for community service, and an idea was born: A youth group open to all Lander middle and high school students that blends social skills training with community service and intergenerational relationship building. The program would include social protocol training within a banquet setting, community building events to provide safe and engaging activities where teens can network with each other and adults, and community service projects that utilize the etiquette skills the teens have used and encourage intergenerational fellowship and activity (hosting dinners and dances for residents of the senior center, for example). To pull all of this off, though, the group needed help acquiring, storing, and transporting all of the equipment (tablecloths, cutlery, decorations, etc.) so they reached out to LOR. LOR’s funding will support the purchase of equipment such as linens, sound and light equipment, decoration, as well as a trailer to store and haul it all around in.