Aufdenkamp represents BGCFDL at State YOY Competition
Jeannie Aufdenkamp was selected as our Club’s 2024-2025 Youth of the Year (YOY) this past fall. Jeannie earned this title through her extraordinary leadership, volunteering, and being an example of what it means to be a dedicated Club member. Jeannie continues to not only participate in all Club programs, but actively takes initiative to go above and beyond. This includes volunteering at Club events, like Trunk or Treat and Lights on Afterschool, and also sharing an amazing speech about herself, why the Boys & Girls Club is important to her, and the friendships she has made through the Club.
Not only is Jeannie an active participant in programs and representing our Boys & Girls Club, she prioritizes her school work and her Model UN club. In this club, they write resolutions and play as countries. They research problems in their country and make resolutions that other countries care about to form resolutions and fix problems. Along with school work, Jeannie is also working towards learning ASL (American Sign Language). She spent a lot of time preparing for the Wisconsin Youth of the Year competition by working extensively to complete her application, resume, cover letter, three essays, and 3-minute speech. The competition took place during the Youth of the Year Conference and Advocacy Days in Madison from March 9-11. It consists of 17 youth from Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the state, one of whom is selected to represent Wisconsin at the regional Youth of the Year competition.
The first day of the competition consisted of team building exercises and networking so Jeannie could meet and get to know the other members from Clubs around the state. The following day was competition day where she delivered her speech detailing her experiences as a member of our Boys & Girls Club and our community and interviewing for a chance to become the Wisconsin State Youth of the Year. We want to congratulate Talib from the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha who delivered an amazing, powerful speech. We wish him the best of luck as he represents our state in the regional competition.
During Jeannie’s final day in Madison in the Capitol building, she got to meet with State Representative Jerry O’Connor and Senator Dan Feyen where she was able to tell her story and sit in the Assembly Chamber. Jeannie stated, “Although it has been hard at some points, Youth of the Year has been a fun experience. I enjoyed getting to tell my story and my Club experience, as well as the friends I have made/staff relationships I have built. Getting to give my speech in front of hundreds at Reach for the Stars and the judges at the competition was a scary, but awesome experience. I was able to build upon my public speaking skills and make new friends with the other competitors. Touring the Capitol was one of my favorite things we did. We got to go out on the observation deck and go up in the dome! I made lots of great memories with some Club staff, like going to Insomnia Cookies for the first time, getting ice cream, and playing lots of cribbage. I hope future Youth of the Year winners get this fun experience like I did!”
We are so proud of everything Jeannie accomplished and how hard she worked to compete to represent our Boys & Girls Club and community. To learn more about Jeannie as our Youth of the Year, check out the announcement article from last year.
For more information about our Club programs or how to sign up, visit our Become a Member page!