In this section:

• Youth Ambassador Program
• Youth Town Hall

Youth Ambassador Program

The support of sponsors and the community every year make possible a memorable experience for 600 students who will participate in the 2012 season of Desert Town Hall' Youth Ambassador Program (YAP). Students invited from 16 area high school get to meet U.S. and world leaders up close and personal, and ask them questions. Headlining the 2011 series on March 7 was George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States. Imagine the impact on these young lives.

Photos from past events

Students attend a reception where they are treated to appetizers and refreshments. The socio-economic diversity of the Coachella Valley is represented by the students who attend the event.	President George W. Bush appeared April 7, 2011. His remarks to the students were candid. Oftentimes speakers will describe their own academic and career challenges and choices.	Students are well prepared for their evening. An expert from the community will brief the students before the evening's speaker appears.
Students are empowered to lead their reception. Here a bright young man introduces Time Editor-at-Large and CNN Host Fareed Zakaria.	Rapt attention is paid to the speaker's remarks.	Imagine the thoughts of this young woman as she listens to President George W. Bush.
Students asked questions of leading author Jeanette Walls. Her personal story was an inspiration to many students.	Sponsors and their guests typically line the walls of the YAP reception so they can watch the interaction between students and speaker.	Community leaders play an active role in YAP, like attorney Brian Harnik (left) and Justice Douglas Miller, California Court of Appeals Judge (right).
Devoted adult and student volunteers ensure that the program runs smoothly. A great deal of preparation goes into each evening.	Students look forward to their special evening and arrive early to interact with youth from other schools.	Fareed Zakaria shared his exciting pathway to U.S. citizenship with the students.
Following this private reception, the students then are seated in the lecture hall to hear the speaker's presentation to our audience of 1,864 people.	This young man may be a future leader in our military. Students often describe in letters to the board how much the experience enriches their lives.	The speakers often remark on how their interaction with the youth is their favorite part of the evening.
Retired high school counselor Sue Krenwinkel devotes her volunteer efforts to the kids.	It truly was an inspiration when Olympic basketball star, member of the New York Knicks, U.S. Senator from New Jersey, merchant banker and best-selling author Bill Bradley met with the students.	Journalism students especially enjoyed their copy of Jeannette Walls' best-selling book The Glass Castle.
No softballs here. Students pose challenging questions to the speakers.	Principals have the discretion to decide which of their school's students attend each event. Very often the students are matched to best benefit from the speaker's expertise, such as from government classes or the school newspaper staff.	New for 2012 will be a blog inviting students to share their Desert Town Hall experience.
“The experience helped me focus on what I want to do as a career,” said one student.	The inspiration is evident on these young faces.	Sponsors are delighted to share in the experience of these fine students.

Student Letters:

Letters from the students offer the best thank-you. Excerpted here is a smattering of the heartfelt gratitude they expressed. The 2011 speakers were Fareed Zakaria, President George W. Bush, Jeanette Walls, and Bill Bradley.

President George W. Bush:

“[Seeing President Bush] was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, and I will never forget it.” – Alissa

“I feel like I learned so much and gained so much more respect for President Bush with the opportunity to hear him speak. All of his experiences he shared were so personal that I felt like I was meeting him personally. I was in awe the whole time I was there, and I could not believe that I was sitting only feet away from a former president of the United States.” – Jesse

“I can now happily cross off meeting a president from my bucket list, and I can proudly say that is was one of the best nights of my life.” – Jesse

“As a current reporter for the La Quinta High School Hawkview and a future political journalist, I was honored to have attended and it encouraged me to pursue my potential career. It both changed my opinion of President Bush and increased the already immense respect I have for the men who lead this country.” – Allie

“Last year I had the opportunity to see Dr. Condoleezza Rice. Not once did I ever think of the possibility of having the opportunity to see George W. Bush. For that I have to thank Desert Town Hall at Indian Wells.” – Nataly

“It is not often that a teenager at the age of 17 gets to say he or she saw the President of the United States and hear him give a remarkable speech on his presidency. The Youth Ambassador Program set out to offer teenagers the ability to meet important people in the world that affect the course of history, and they have done just that.” –Arthur

“Not many students are fortunate enough to be in the presence of a past president, let alone get to witness his personality and character.” -- Radost

Fareed Zakaria:

“The Mac computers on the tables for live-blogging demonstrated that the speaker series accepts technology’s role in uniting people in this ever-modern world.” – Natalie

“[With Zakaria] we heard what we learn in our senior government and economics class being discussed on a real-world level.” – Chloe

“Each year would pass and I’d hear fascinating stories of the speakers that would visit Indian Wells. I couldn’t be more grateful that I had the chance to attend one of the unforgettable lectures.” – Michael

“As a foreign exchange student from China, [Zakaria’s] experience helped me to understand the true meaning of the American Dream. I want to study engineering at UCLA or UC-Berkeley.” – Qin

“[Zakaria] showed me how America is seen by other countries.” – Hannah

“My goal is to become a police officer. I hope that one day I can make an impact on students the way Mr. Zakaria made an impact on me.” – Saul

“My dream is to become a special education teacher and be able to help kids like the benefactors help the students get into Desert Town Hall.” – Arianna

“[Zakaria] spoke with us as though we were his peers and as though we were having a conversation, rather than talking at us and that was uplifting.” – Samara

Jeannette Walls:

“Oftentimes we blind ourselves to our own struggles and we don’t see the more difficult life someone could be going through such as Jeannette Walls did as a child. I could not have asked for a better, heart-wrenching, and eye-opening experience as the one I experienced hearing Jeannette Walls speak.” – Magdyel

“[Hearing] Jeannette Walls speak inspired me to help the homeless to the best of my abilities.”—Alan

“Hearing [Jeannette Walls’] speech was very moving, and when I got home, I stayed up half the night reading the free copy of her book we each received.” – Danielle

“[Jeannette Walls’ talk] was life-changing because it made me see how fortunate I am to be where I am and it helped me appreciate my parents more and every piece of clothing that I own.” – Jasmine

“I am overwhelmingly grateful that I was able to receive an autographed copy The Glass Castle. I have already started reading it and it is as inspirational as her speech was.” – Jasmine

“Hearing [Jeannette Walls] was an experience that I will remember for years to come, and I would not have been able to attend if the Youth Ambassador’s Program had not invited my school.” – Danielle

“The connection Walls had with her audience had me relate with her almost instantaneously. Her words have had a profound impact on my philosophy towards life and she has opened my eyes to a new aspect of life.” – Kristy

And this letter, in its entirety, because it’s just that good:

“At first I was less than thrilled to be attending a lecture by a woman that nobody seemed to know. However, upon reading more about her, I was excited to see that she was not a politician or news commentator – a rare find among the speakers in this series. I soon found myself chomping at the bit, eagerly awaiting the date of the lecture to arrive. ¶ Upon arriving, I was in a fairly unpleasant mood, as I had been having an off week. However, as soon as Ms. Walls entered the room, my spirits were lifted as she smiled from ear to ear. My mood was only raised further as the evening went on. Every word that came from her mouth was a valuable life lesson. As her eyes sparkled with a hard-earned optimism, she taught the audience to value life, whatever it may throw at you. As she gave her closing comments, I found myself among the most enthusiastic contributors to the roar of applause. I had entered the hall barely knowing who this woman was, and I left having found a source of great inspiration. I can think of no greater compliment to Ms. Walls. I thank you once again for giving me this remarkable opportunity.” – Michael

Schools and Organizations Invited

Amistad High School
Cathedral City High School
Coachella Valley High School
College of the Desert
CSU - San Bernardino Palm Desert
Desert Chapel High School
Desert Christian High School
Desert Hot Springs High School
Desert Mirage High School
Indio High School
La Quinta High School
Palm Desert High School
Palm Springs High School
Shadow Hills High School
Palm Valley School
Xavier Prep School
UCR-Palm Desert Grad Center
Mt. San Jacinto
DHS Alternative Ed.
Ramon Alternative
Horizon School
La Familia
West Shores
Women Leaders Forum
Boys & Girls Club - La Quinta
Boys & Girls Club - Palm Springs

Proud Sponsors

City of Indian Wells
Anderson Travel
The H.N. & Frances C. Berger Foundation
Phil & Geda Condit Family
The Desert Sun
Lois U. Horvitz
KPSP Local 2
Rabobank
Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa
Roemer & Harnik, Attorneys and Counselors At Law
The Ryerson - Indian Wells
Sunrise Company
Valentine-Dougherty-Clark, 111 Wealth Management Group, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

Special Thanks

The Coeta & Donald Barker Foundation
The H. N. & Frances C. Berger Foundation
Geda & Phil Condit
The Gannett Foundation
& Many supporters and friends of our youth