This past League of Cities meeting was probably one of the most beneficial to those who always want to get what they want: teenagers.

This month’s meeting started off at the beautiful Sunrise Civic Center where we were introduced to a speaker from Dale Carnegie Training. The seminar, which was titled “How to: Win People Over to Your Point of View,” immediately caught my attention. I seem to always find myself in those positions where people just don’t understand my side and always want to do something their way. Soon I found out that politicians face this same problem and it bugs them just as much! The speaker gave us key tips for winning people over to your side such as ‘don’t criticize, condemn or complain’. I totally agreed with this one because after all, you will get nowhere by telling another person they are wrong right of the bat.

One of the tips I heard the speaker say was to simply smile. When I first heard that this simple gesture was placed on this all-important human relations principles list, I couldn’t help but laugh. However as I thought about it longer, I realized the first thing you see when you approach a person is their smile. A smile can make you approachable and welcoming to another individual and is therefore key to winning people over to your point of view.

As the seminar ended, we headed into the service hall where schools from around the county were highlighting some of their brightest ideas. One of my favorites was my own school, Pembroke Pines Charter High School. I was able to speak with the Vice Principal of one of Pembroke Pines Charter’s elementary schools. It was interesting to know a little background about my school. Alongside my school were other networks that had learning initiatives displayed.

After the service hall, we sat down to dinner and the crowd welcomed an outstanding performance by a singing choir putting on pieces from their musical. It was really inspiring to see students my own age get up in front of such a large crowd and perform on such a sensitive topic: bullying. After that wonderful performance, the Broward League of Cities Scholarships for Government Stufies were awarded to four deserving students from around the county, one of which was my outgoing Lt. Governor for Key Club- Carolina Echeverri. Her outstanding leadership, intelligence, and volunteer work make her deserving of such a prestigious scholarship. Overall, the night was filled with lots of potential future politicians, who will soon be looking to make our country a better place.

By: Kimberly Willoughby