Behind the Scenes
A teen looks back at how the ambassador presentation came together.
By Andre Haughton
SANDY WOODCOCK
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The youth ambassadors show off the collages they made as part of an icebreaker exercise.
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From the moment I stepped off the plane and headed toward the Capital Hilton, I knew the World Young Reader Conference would be unforgettable.
I had not yet seen the other youth ambassadors and I had not given a presentation to hundreds of newspaper professionals from around the world, but something in the air gave me a positive vibe.
At dinner that evening I met the other ambassadors, five from the United States and six from countries such as South Africa, Denmark and Zambia. There was little awkwardness between us, even though we all came from different cultures and backgrounds. Discussions about movies, music and life in our respective regions took precedence over all other issues.
The next morning we began with an icebreaker activity that rivaled any other. Using newspaper clippings, we created collages that described who we were and who we were not.
In between yawns and several cups of coffee, we learned more about each other and why we had come to the conference. This fed into discussions about our media consumption and how we thought the newspaper industry could best reach younger readers.
But what could a visit to the nation’s capital be without some fun? We enjoyed a trip to the International Spy Museum and then ESPN Zone, a family-style restaurant and game center. Back at the hotel, we unwound to a song naming every nation in the world to the tune of the “Mexican Hat Dance” courtesy of John Slack, the youth ambassador from Ohio.
The following day involved more work for us. A stop at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum was great, but we were getting anxious about our upcoming presentation and that held our focus for most of the day.
As we neared crunch time, we broke into groups and saw our presentation start to take shape. The next day was spent fine-tuning all aspects of what we had to do. By Tuesday, presentation day, we were set.
Dressed almost entirely in black, we found ourselves on stage amid a sea of newspaper professionals. Complete with laughs, looks of awe and applause, we made our point about what print media companies could do better to suit young readers.
Afterward, we finally had time to let loose at the closing dinner/dance. One of our very own ambassadors, Clayra Shaira Morales Garden from the Dominican Republic, aided singer-songwriter Peter Yarrow in translating some of his performance for the Spanish-speaking attendees.
As the evening progressed, things began to heat up. People hit the dance floor for a few slow jams and soon everyone was on their feet as the songs got faster and faster.
The youth ambassadors left early, but we were not done yet. Because it was our last night together, we spent several hours hanging out, reminiscing about the past few days. As we sat in the suite, sadness gripped everyone.
Yet the next morning was filled with a sort of happiness. Our time at the conference was undoubtedly one of the best in our lives. The hotel lobby buzzed as we shook hands with attendees who had enjoyed our presentation, and we joked about the moves we had seen on the dance floor the previous night. We also exchanged numbers and promised to keep in contact.
We left much wiser from the time spent in the company of people from around the world, and much more determined to continue representing the journalism industry and improving it in every way possible.
Andre Haughton represented the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale as a youth ambassador at the World Young Reader Conference, and also at the 2006 NAA Foundation Young Reader Conference in St. Louis.
