For Freedom High School junior Katie Carnes, the best part about attending the Nov. 9 Step Up event was the chance to hear from teenagers from around the county.
"You think it is just you thinking these things, but then you come here and hear that everyone else is thinking them too," she said.
Carnes' friend and Freedom High School senior, Sooji Choi, was excited to hear from students from the western half of the county, students whose experiences differ from teens in the east.
"It was interesting to hear how they want to keep the original feel of their old town, but they still want to renovate things for modern conveniences," she said.
HEARING OPINIONS from teenagers from across the county was the main point of Step Up, an annual event presented by the Loudoun Youth Initiative. More than 275 people attended the all-day event at AOL headquarters in Dulles and sponsored by the online company, which was designed to allow teenagers to create a proposal of what opportunities they believe teens need in the county.
"The point really is to make youth realize that they can make a difference," Nicole Poltash, chair of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) and a senior at Broad Run High School, said. "Then we want to teach them to implement what they learn back into the community and really make that difference."
Although the Step Up event is held every year, Poltash said every other year the event is larger and focused more on collecting ideas directly from teens.
"Here [teens] are going to specify in more detail what they want and once [YAC] knows what they want, we can bring that to people like the Board of Supervisors and get the opportunities for youth," she said.
BEFORE BREAKING out into smaller groups, the participating students heard from AOL vice chairman Ted Leonsis, who encouraged the teens to put down on paper what they wanted to get out of life.
Following a plane crash, Leonsis said he wrote down 101 things he wanted to do, including winning an Emmy and owning a professional sports team. Leonsis later became part owner in Washington, D.C.-based teams the Wizards, the Capitols and the Mystics and AOL's feed of the Live8 performances from around the world earned him an Emmy.
"It's not crazy to sit down and write down your life's aspirations," he said. "Find out what's important to you."
PHOENIX-BASED motivational speaker Justin Boudreau, shared stories from his own youth and young adulthood, including how he took part in a lip-sync contest when no one at his school thought it was cool and how he picked up in his early 20s and spent a year working on a cruise ship. It was on that cruise ship that Boudreau met his wife.
"Opportunities are taken, not given," he told the students. "What opportunities are you taking today?"
Boudreau also told the story of how, when he was a high-school teacher, how he asked his students to describe why one of two statements represented them most. The statements were "Here I am" and "There you are." Only one of his students chose "There you are," Boudreau said, teaching him how important it is not to say only what you think people want to hear.
"You have that same opportunity today," he said. "You have the choice of saying what you think people want to hear or saying what really matters to you."
Boudreau said that in the five years he has been speaking to youth around the country he has seen many youth-initiated programs, but that Step Up stood out.
"This involves the community," he said. "That is a certain unique opportunity to share with adults."
FOR THEIR BREAKOUT groups, participating students voted on 10 different topics. The top-five choices became the topics of discussion. Two groups spoke on each of the five topics: creating places for teens to gather, being part of the solution, leadership and life skills, creating a welcoming neighborhood and school environment, and how to get more respect and recognition for student achievements.
Each group was moderated by adults from AOL and the surrounding community. Students shared ideas on their assigned topic, mapping things they could do in one week, one year and over several years.
"We are trying to find out where we are failing and where we are succeeding," Supervisor Stephen Snow (R-Dulles) told the students.
IN ADDITION to the breakout groups, several schools had students watching the event on a pod cast in their school's auditorium.
Chris Pasternak, a history teacher at Broad Run High School, arranged for 25 students in his DELTA program to watch the event. DELTA is a program started at Broad Run four years ago, which targets freshman who might be at risk for not finishing high school. AOL also provided funding for the program when it began.
"A lot of the students who went through the program are here," Pasternak said of the 14 students from Broad Run.
The DELTA students also voted on which topics they hoped to discuss and Pasternak planned on breaking them into smaller groups when he returned to Broad Run.
"I thought it would be a great opportunity for them to see the opportunities for them," he said. "I really wanted to include them in this."
As for the students who were selected for Step Up, Pasternak said they were selected by the school's guidance counselors.
"They are students who are in a leadership position now or who could have a future leadership position," he said. "Kids who have strong initiative."
While Pasternak said that all four grades were represented, Broad Run selected more freshmen and sophomores for the program, which they hope will carry participation in the event in future years.
WHILE STUDENTS were active in their participation during breakout session, some remained skeptical about what results the day would bring.
"A lot of the stuff we talked about today will only work in theory," Michael Villalobos, a junior at Park View High School, said. "It's a good idea, but I just don't know if it will really work.
Along with Villalobos, Choi and Carnes, also wished that more community leaders were involved in the event.
Carnes said it would be nice if more members of the Board of Supervisors and other governing bodies would attend the event so the students could tell their ideas directly to them.
"It would be great to get people involved that can actually do something," Villalobos said.
For all of their concerns, however, the students said they believed that the event was a step in the right direction.
"I like how a big company like AOL is getting involved, but I wish it was longer than just one day," Choi said. "There is just so much to talk about."