Jeremy Graham, Youth Pastor and Motivational Speaker

Becoming a Community Leader

Jeremy Graham grew up in a nice home in New Orleans, but when he was thirteen and his father moved out, Jeremy’s life took a turn for the worse. Faced with stress and financial difficulty, Jeremy dropped out of school and began selling drugs. Fortunately, Jeremy’s mother and his pastor encouraged him to attend community college, where he earned a degree in business administration and accounting. Jeremy is now the youth pastor at his church, and he is working toward his bachelor’s degree at Mississippi College. The paragraph below is an example of the instructional material Jeremy writes for his job.

As a member of a youth group, you can become an active leader in the group and in your larger community. Following a few key steps can help you along the way. The first step is to lead by example. Older group members must set the path for younger members by showing them how to conduct themselves, work hard, and keep a positive attitude in any situation. By doing so, the younger members will build healthy relationships, and the skills they learn from older mentors will help them in school and future jobs. Second, youth leaders must encourage their peers to get involved with the community to make positive changes. Gathering together young people to visit homeless shelters, feed the homeless, and clean up the community are just a few things that can be done. These activities teach youth to be grateful for their living conditions and to extend a helping hand to others. The third step is to build good character and moral integrity. This happens naturally as youth leaders become more involved in their communities and serve as role models for other youth. Having good character and integrity improves young leaders’ lives and helps them continue to have a positive impact on others. To sum up, all these steps greatly benefit youth leaders and the communities they serve.