When someone gains the skill to lead a crowd or make new connections, it can help them throughout their life. It can be super difficult to have an opportunity to do that in front of people you know and trust, but with BBYO, you get that opportunity to make an impact. 

During my first convention, I did not really get a chance to meet a lot of people or a chance to make a difference in the chapter, and I felt lost outside of my chapter. Before the next convention, I saw the opportunity to steer. I thought, “Sure, why not,” and when I became a steerer, I had to go on a call every week and plan with a group of 20 kids. This opportunity opened many doors and windows for me.

First of all, when steering in my region, you get to work closely with someone to either design and run a program/activity or help run the convention as a whole. Either way, you get to make a connection and truly make a bond in a unique way to BBYO, which you can’t get anywhere else.

Second, steering gives the opportunity to cultivate a skill that there are very few opportunities to explore. When steering a BBYO convention, you could manage the emotional intelligence and adaptivity. It is seldom that you get the experience to manage a budget, coordinate speakers, buy supplies, and understand all that goes into planning an event like this. Getting a chance to read a room when steering in BBYO is like no other, because you have to understand how people are enjoying or feeling about the event. Then, you must be able to adapt or be flexible to make it run well, which is hard to learn and experience when you are a teenager.

Finally, I learned communication in many different forms; from emailing a regional director to calling and texting people to sign up for regional conventions and sending cold emails to see who will speak at a convention or do an activity. This was unique because learning how to communicate in all different styles at the same time is an experience that is like no other. 

Now, even if it's just once, even if it's a small role, even if it's not that much pressure, take the opportunity to steer, get new skills, and learn to communicate better. Also, you can make some new regional friends and maybe even spend time with people you are close with in your chapter.