The Youth Belonging Leadership Team (YBLT) at Schoharie Central School District has proven to be effective for the past four years at helping students feel like they can be respected for who they are.
Following remote learning during COVID and a return to in-person instruction, students and staff at Schoharie Junior-Senior High School were noticing some issues among the student body such as disrespectful, hurtful language toward groups of people and individuals.
That’s what led grades 6-12 vocal music teacher Carrie Styles to create the YBLT club, which officially launched in 2022 with a goal of improving school climate through inclusivity.
“Post-pandemic, in addition to noticing a deficit in communication skills among our students, I saw an uptick in hurtful language that was targeted toward both groups and individuals,” said Styles, the YBLT club advisor. “As a result, I started to brainstorm ways to get students involved in having solution-based conversations while building advocacy skills. I thought the best format would be to form a club with those goals in mind, and after talking with both students and administration, SCS was on board.”
Resources for the Youth Belonging Leadership Team have also found somewhere they belong – in the BOCES of New York State’s new, online Culturally Responsive Learning Exchange. In the exchange, which relaunched this month, you can find more information about the YBLT club and the actions the club has taken by viewing the slides from a presentation the club gave to faculty and staff.
The YBLT club is open to students in grades 9-12 and meets one or two times per month after school.
Since it started, the YBLT club has grown in size – with 18 consistent members last school year – as well as in the scope of activities and level of student buy in, said Styles, who is also the district equity coordinator, a member of the Greater Capital Region Teacher Center Policy Board and advisor of Schoharie’s Leading Tones club.
“Students have taken more ownership of the things that they’re doing,” Styles said. “They’ve surveyed the staff and students. They have presented at faculty meetings. They’ve gone to board meetings and presented. They created and organized a Jeopardy game based on respect and had each grade level come in for 20 minutes – and had them play the Jeopardy game as a way to learn about respect. So yeah, they’re a well-oiled machine now, and it evolves as new needs arise within our district.”
Additionally, Styles said she has seen the members of the club grow as individuals.
“Students aren’t afraid to speak up when they see or hear something,” Style said. “They have built bridges with the adults in the building and work together to create a more welcoming, inclusive environment.”
View a June 2025 video about the YBLT club below.