What is the Youth Leadership Team?
Café Scientifique is a program for high school teens interested in hot topics in the news related to science. Teens take ownership of the program through the Youth Leadership Teams. Each town has a Youth Leadership Team — open to any teen — that helps to select Café topics, advertises and draws other teens to the Cafés, and then runs the meetings, while the program staff members stay in the background and provide support as needed. YLT members participate in the committees described below.
If you are a high school teen and are interested in participating in the Youth Leadership Team for your town, all you have to do is go to a Café meeting and give your name to the adult staff member. Other YLT members will show you the ropes!
Questions? Look further down this page for some answers.
Youth Leadership Activities
There is a Café event each month in each town. During the Café session, a scientist introduces a hot topic in science and leads a spirited and highly interactive program for about an hour. This typically includes an activity that challenges everyone with a problem or puzzle. Refreshments are served before and after the presentation and discussion.
The Youth Leadership Teams divide up the responsibilities of guiding the Café program so that many more teens can get involved in leading and participating in the program. There is a role for everyone.
Recruitment and Outreach
Is it OK to take some initiative or am I just supposed to do what I'm told?
We absolutely encourage YLT members to take a lot of initiative. You are going to have good ideas that no one has thought of. You may have ideas about people you think ought to know about the program, go after them. You may have ideas about better ways to advertise. You may have ideas about some interesting topics related to science that no one has thought of, you should promote having Cafés on such topics. You are very much encouraged to put up your ideas on the social network site, there are no bad ideas here. You should feel free to contact people you know in your school or in other towns about the Café. In general, we just want you to be out there doing stuff, and to the extent your time permits. We understand you are all busy.
I am volunteering for the YLT, but I am a little nervous because I don't have that much experience, how much help can I count on?
You are not going to be out there on your own. You will be working as part of a team and you will be able to help each other. And the adult organizers are going to be there to help you and support you in any way you need it. You need only to ask.
How much extra time will it require to be on the YLT?
Youth leaders meet for an hour once or twice a month in the beginning of the season, then only 30 minutes or so once we get the routine down. The shorter meetings could be held right after a Café presentation or on another day, what ever works for the team. At these meetings, we will iron out details for the next meeting and pick follow up activities. Additionally, some of our discussion can be done by email or on our Facebook sites, whatever works best for the group.
What is this social network all about?
We have a Café Scientifique group on Facebook to better communicate with you and other teens interested in the Café Scientifique program. You can join the group any time. It is a place for all participants in the Café to sign on and learn about and from each other. We will make regular postings of news about the program and about interesting science discoveries we learn about. Sign up and check it out!
Café Scientifique New Mexico