Justin Carbonella and Bonnie Daley Lead with Empower

The Middletown Youth Services Bureau Team Leads with Empower! We are joined by Justin Carbonella, Youth Services Coordinator, and Bonnie Daley, Diversion Coordinator, from the City of Middletown Youth Services Bureau. I have had the pleasure of working alongside Bonnie, Justin, and many young adults from the MYSB over the years and can say with the utmost confidence that Bonnie and Justin are both tremendous community leaders and advocates for youths and young adults in the City of Middletown and beyond! 00:00: Episode Introduction and "Roll Call" We start the episode with a discussion about the MYSB, its role in the Middletown community, and we learn about the day-to-day leadership responsibilities of both Bonnie and Justin. The MYSB is a multi-tiered agent of change focused on critically-conscious youth development. The MYSB prides itself on advocating for youths and families while providing opportunities for youth-led social change. "There is a misperception that we need to shield young people from complicated and challenging issues, that we need to protect their innocence. That is not true; these are issues that young people care deeply about and are impacted by!" 18:02: Leadership Journey to Middletown Youth Services Bureau Bonnie and Justin share their journey, leadership lessons learned, people who impacted them throughout, and a moment of failure that has had a positive impact on their lives! "Seeing adults willing to take on extra work or create new paths; what that does to someone's confidence and sense of worth - I think that becomes the thing I try to pay forward." 24:40: Leadership in Action Justin and Bonnie discuss their roles in activating as many youth/young adult leaders as possible by giving them the skills to bring their leadership to wherever their passions lie. "It is important to have young people see your vulnerabilities and to see that, even as an adult, there are going to be moments that you struggle, but you have people around you who will support you through it all." Bonnie and Justin also discuss the importance of relationships in youth development and share their advice for those struggling to connect with the youths that they lead. "Relationships are a huge part of leadership, it is a notion that is baked deeply into our theory of change and it is what allows us to help youths and young adults realize what they are capable of." 76:35: "Finish the Drill" and Episode Closure As always, we wrap up our tremendous conversation with a few "quick hitters" with Bonnie and Justin - including (1) their "silver linings" from 2020, (2) their favorite part of working at MYSB, and (3) the leadership quality they hope to pass along to the youths, young adults, and families they serve. "Every problem has a solution, we don't let things that don't matter distract us from the things that do!" Learn more about the Middletown Youth Services Bureau by visiting their website and following on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Musical Credit to Matt Jaskot Find out more at https://lead-with-empower-podcast.pinecast.co