The iBELIEVE Newsletter

The iBELIEVE Newsletter - 6th Edition

Welcome back to the our first newsletter of 2024! We closed out 2023 strong, and we’re hoping to keep that momentum going in to this year. Keep reading to get caught up on everything iB!

2024 Youth Leadership Workshops!

We’re finally able to announce dates for 2024 YLW! We’re back again this summer with 3 workshops.

2024 YLW Schedule

July 7 - 11 - University of Mount Union (Alliance, OH)

July 21 - 25 - Ohio University I (Athens, OH)

July 28 - Aug 1 - Ohio University II (Athens, OH)

Important Upcoming Dates!

March 1st - Returner letters will be mailed out after this day (watch your mailbox!)

March 19th - Registration for 2024 YLW opens! REGISTER EARLY! Spots will fill quickly, so don’t miss out on the campus you want to attend.

May 1st - Registration for 2024 YLW closes!

We love seeing all the things our delegates are up to outside of our programs. This month, we’ve got friends all over the news making headlines!

Current Delegate, Chris Copen, was recently featured in an article for the Marietta Times! Check out the full article HERE where he talks about his plans to study sports medicine.

Current Delegate, Chloe Maybin, was recently named Miss Portsmouth’s teen, and will be competing for Miss Ohio’s teen! Hear from Chloe as she talks about her community service initiative through the program!

“When I first entered the Miss America Program and was told I needed to come up with a community service initiative (CSI), I knew exactly what I wanted to do: Youth Leadership in Appalachia. The purpose of my CSI is to let youth in Appalachia know that they matter and that they have a voice, and to teach them to believe in their ability to lead. My goal is to let the youth all over Ohio, especially Appalachian areas, know that they are so much more than the way people perceive them and that they can do anything they put their minds to. The biggest factor in my growth as a leader has been the iBELIEVE Foundation. iB has helped me get me out of my comfort zone, learn how to communicate effectively, comfortably speak in front of large crowds, and increase my confidence. With the help of all of the iBELIEVE summer workshops and fall summits I have attended, I have grown so much as a leader within my community. With my initiative and the title of Miss Portsmouth’s teen, I plan on providing leadership opportunities to others that were given to me and show that we can believe, achieve, and lead at any age. iB is the reason I am the person that I am today, and the reason I have the courage to compete for the title of Miss Ohio’s Teen. I am forever thankful to iB for giving me the amazing memories and friendships I’ve made in the past two and a half years. I truly believe that this organization can help so many others become the leader they are meant to be.”

Want to hear more about Chloe’s iB journey? You can read her recent impact story!

Alumni Spotlight - Erica White

Erica attended iBELIEVE’s YLW as a delegate in 2018 and 2019, and continues to volunteer with iB while studying at Ohio University.

“As someone who has spent the last six years surrounding themselves with the iBELIEVE Foundation, it is easy to take my words in a biased manner. However, when speaking to any previous delegate of this organization, I’m sure they would all agree with the following sentence: the iBELIEVE Foundation helped shape me into the person that I am today.

I grew up in a small town in Scioto County, Ohio — a place where hometown pride was forced into your head from the moment you learned how to walk. But, I never felt that connection. I never felt like I belonged there, and I even often found myself resenting it. That all changed when I attended my first iBELIEVE Summer Workshop in 2018. That week of workshop made me fall in love with Appalachia, and brought a newfound fondness for the town I had previously held a grudge against.”

“My name is Erica White, and I am currently a third-year student at Ohio University. Being a delegate and a staff member with the iBELIEVE Foundation allowed me to find a passion for working with Appalachian youth, leading me to major in Psychology here at OU. Through iBELIEVE, I have been able to strengthen and build skills in communication, relationship-building, creativity, and problem-solving. The abilities that this organization instills within its delegates have led me to a wide amount of opportunities. During high school, it allowed me to step into leadership roles within my community and assist in planning events that allowed me to give back to the town that I had grown up in, something that I had never thought I’d do until attending iBELIEVE. Now, my skill set has grown even more vast due to my affiliation with this organization.

Now as my college career draws to an end, I credit my time with iBELIEVE for being the reason I have allowed myself to jump into opportunities with a heart full of confidence and gratitude. Each time that I am presented with an offer, I thank this foundation for pushing me outside my comfort zone and challenging me to take a positive risk. The iBELIEVE foundation has opened many doors for me, from volunteering within Children Services to being given an internship opportunity in Ireland this coming summer to study Child Psychology with a select group of peers. Before attending iBELIEVE, I would have never even considered the thought of going to another state by myself - let alone another country, but my years of involvement with this organization has allowed me to grasp each opportunity with an excited spirit, eager to learn and do more.

Each lesson and challenge that iBELIEVE has presented me led me to where I am today, pushing me to always be growing into the best version of myself that I can be and embracing the ever-changing world around me with strength and perseverance. Every staff member and delegate I have had the chance to meet has left an outstanding impact on me, molding me into the person I have always wanted to be. After my graduation, I intend to enroll in a doctoral program in Psychology, with a specialization in children and adolescents. I hope to return to the Appalachian region and continue to spread the magic that iBELIEVE has instilled within me to others who may not have the same opportunity to attend a workshop themselves. This foundation helped me find myself, it helped me grow more comfortable in my own skin and now when people ask, I leap at the chance to tell them that I am proudly from Appalachia.

I could go on for ages about this organization, but I have always been a firm believer that actions speak louder than words. If you find yourself with the opportunity to attend an iBELIEVE event, take it. Talk to the delegates, talk to the staff members, talk to the directors. The iBELIEVE Foundation fills each of its delegates with such a spark of light and leaves them brim full of motivation to inspire and do good, that it will overflow into you, leaving the true impact and magic that encapsulates this organization.”

Alumni Spotlight - Kali Siembor and Allie Stokes

Kali and Allie are both iB alumni and continue to staff for us while attending Kent State University!

In November Pymatuning Valley High School had to cancel their trip to our summit due to weather. So, earlier this month two of our staff, Kali and Allie, who are alumni of Pymatuning Valley took the initiative. They decided they didn't want the students to miss out on the experience, so they adapted our summit program and hosted 12 students for their own mini summit!

Seeing our alumni and staff continue to make an impact on their communities makes us so proud!

We’re so lucky to have the support of so many wonderful community organizations and businesses. Each one believes in our mission and the students that attend our programs, so we wanted give some more recognition to every one that has supported us through the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024!

!!Seniors!! - We know many of you are looking for scholarship opportunities as you plan your next steps after graduation. We wanted to share some great resources to help streamline your search! Make sure you pay attention to upcoming deadlines.

The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio - FAO’s general scholarship applications are now open through March 15th! Check out their website for other scholarship opportunities as well!

Marietta Community Foundation

The Parkersburg Area Community Foundation

West Virginia Scholarships

Ohio Scholarships

Pennsylvania Scholarships

ALT TEXT: Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce yelling in the face of coach Andy Reid, presumably singing the words to It’s My Life. His passion for Bon Jovi and 80’s rock is unmatched.

(Side note, it was pointed out to me that It’s My Life was actually released in 2000, making it not technically 80’s rock, but Bon Jovi as a whole I would consider an 80’s rock band.)

ALT TEXT: Tiger Woods getting ready to dap you up and calling you ‘big dog’. He sees the iB shirt you’re wearing and respects your commitment to becoming a better leader.

ALT TEXT: Ravens coach John Harbaugh dancing in the locker room after their playoff win. Something tells me he would enjoy a good Flex Time. Our YLW doors are always open for an visit(or a sizeable donation) if you happen to be reading this, John.

ALT TEXT: Walter White saying ‘Someone cooked here.’ Of course referring to delegates that give and share feedback in a group in order to determine the strengths of every group member and streamline their tasks. As an educator he recognizes how important self-awareness and communication are in a group setting.

This was a truly an underappreciated banger.

MERCH MERCH MERCH!

We released our merch site a few months ago, but it would be a missed opportunity if I didn’t plug it here. Summer is just around the corner, so stock up now and show up to any event in style. GET IT HERE!

That wraps up the past few months around iB and this edition of our newsletter. If you’re interested in contributing to our next edition in May, please visit our website. In the meantime, watch our social media pages to stay up to date with everything else we’re doing. We’re excited for everything happening in 2024, so come along for the ride!