At McCaskey, dozens of wonderful student-run clubs and organizations are offered. From McCaskey’s argumentative debate club to the imaginiative art club, club opportunities are diverse and open to all students. One thing all these clubs have in common is the leadership opportunities they provide. All clubs at McCaskey offer many leadership positions, such as vice president or president. However, not every student at McCaskey can access these leadership opportunities, as they can be competitive and time-consuming. One program at McCaskey aims to solve this problem by giving everyone leadership opportunities. This program, created in collaboration with the City of Lancaster, is McCaskey’s very own Neighborhood Leaders Academy. Its founder, Lancaster City official Josh Beltre, would give quintessential information about the program during an interview. 

To start, the Neighborhood Leaders Academy is a program that trains youth to become community leaders. As Beltre put it, “Neighborhood Leaders Academy is a civic leadership program where students learn how the City of Lancaster works and how they can take an active role in improving their neighborhoods. It’s all about building leaders who care about their community and are ready to take action.” The program has monthly meetings on early dismissal Wednesdays.

The Neighborhood Leaders Academy builds youth into strong leaders by teaching practical leadership skills. Beltre explained, “NLA helps students build leadership, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. It also teaches them to speak up, organize ideas, and turn those ideas into real projects that make a difference.” He added that his favorite part of NLA is “watching students grow into leaders.” He described how students progress from just meeting one another to confidently sharing ideas, collaborating, and presenting in front of the City Council. To him, seeing this change is “powerful.”

While forging community leaders among the youth of Lancaster is the main goal of the Neighborhood Leaders Academy, educating those youth on how government functions, especially at the local level, is also a core tenet of the program. After all, how could a kid be a leader in their community without knowing how the government functions? Beltre would make note of this paradox, arguing that kids’ understanding of the functions of government is an imperative necessity, stating that “Understanding how local government works helps students know who to talk to, how decisions are made, and how they can be part of those decisions. It gives them the tools to turn their ideas into real change.”

One of the best parts of the Neighborhood Leaders Academy is the projects it produces. Projects in the academy are made to address a specific issue in the community. For example, one student built a drivable, solar-powered soda stand to sell drinks and ice cream in a climate-friendly way. One of Beltre’s favorite projects that has come out of the program is the Traffic Garden project created by the JP McCaskey students. Beltre explained that “They designed public safety signs, created marketing materials, and helped bring a real, interactive space to life for the community. It showed how youth ideas can turn into something impactful.” 

In addition to creating projects, students in the Neighborhood Leaders Academy participate in a wide variety of activities. Beltre gave a list of these activities, which include “opportunities for students to meet city leaders, visit different city departments, learn how things work behind the scenes, work on  group projects, and present their ideas to the City Council. They also connect with other students who care about making a difference.”

At their last meeting, the Neighborhood Leaders Academy visited Lancaster’s Town Hall. There, students learned about Lancaster’s government and the projects the city is currently implementing. One interesting project mentioned at this meeting was Lancaster’s plan to convert King Street to a two-way street to improve safety. This is part of their “Two-Way Restoration” program aimed at bringing two-way driving back to Lancaster. Attendees also learned about government structure, history, and functions within the city of Lancaster and the state of Pennsylvania as a whole.  

McCaskey sophomore Bryan Rodriguez De La Cruz finds value in the Neighborhood Leaders program because “It gives me insight into how local governments operate. We also learn how to solve civil problems. Students should join if they are interested in local government and want to learn how to solve issues in their community.” 

Another McCaskey sophomore, Justice Keller, holds the Neighborhood Leaders Academy in high regard because he “enjoys it,” as it gives him “an opportunity to reach out and help my local city. It also helps me gain connections for the future, such as the mayor or people who may be my colleagues someday, such as design engineers for the city, or if I have to reach out to a public works person. It gives me access to an understanding of how my local government works. That’s what I really like, and I think it’s very valuable information that the youth should know and understand thoroughly, and will also make these connections so they can trust their local leaders.”

Neighborhood leaders academy is not merely a program for kids to have fun, but a space to grow teens into powerful leaders. Beltre wants McCaskey to recognize this, arguing that Neighborhood Leaders Academy “Is more than just a program, it’s an opportunity. It’s a space where students can learn, grow, and realize their potential as leaders. If you care about your community even a little, this program is for you.” To all the students who want to get involved in politics or become leaders in their community, Beltre’s message should be a sign that the Neighborhood Leaders Academy might be for you.