Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County's Rubin Nieto selected to prestigious 2020 Executive Journey Fellowship

21 January 2020

Director of Elkhart's Boys & Girls Club selected for 2020 Executive Journey Fellowship.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County is proud to congratulate Elkhart Area Director Rubin Nieto on his selection to the prestigious 2020 Executive Journey Fellowship. Mr. Nieto is one of thirty executives from youth-serving organizations from across Indiana selected to the fellowship. In response to a growing need for ongoing professional and personal renewal in the field of youth work, the Journey Fellowship was created in 2002 and funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. A program of The Indiana Youth Service Association, The Executive Journey Fellowship provides Indiana’s youth workers greater opportunities to explore meaning and purpose in their lives and make stronger commitments to the field of youth work.

This Fellowship is about renewing individuals, which leads to renewing organizations and ultimately, to renewing the entire field of youth work.

Tom Plake, Journey Leader

As a participant in the Journey Fellowship, Mr. Nieto will attend a series of residential retreats designed to create new ways of thinking about and practicing youth work within existing systems and youth programs. Fellows are awarded personal renewal scholarships, and will be supported to make a difference within their local organizations and communities.

I am extremely thankful to be selected as one of 30 youth executives in the state of Indiana to take part in The Journey. I believe every professional should look for learning opportunities that challenge them personally and professionally. I feel what I learn at The Journey will be a huge help to our Clubs and the Elkhart County community. I want to thank my fellow youth executives who thoughtfully nominated me for this honor. I look forward to this opportunity to come together with my peers from youth-serving organizations statewide as we develop new and innovative ways to serve the youth in our communities and to strive for excellence in youth-services statewide.

Rubin Nieto, Elkhart Area Director, Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County

So far, the Journey Fellowship has served more than 1,000 prospective and current youth workers (2003-2019) through this retreat-based format. Fellows are engaged in creating leadership and renewal opportunities throughout the state of Indiana. Countless other youth workers have been served through conference workshops, day-long seminars, and other types of renewal for staff and organizations within local communities facilitated by Journey Leaders.

We know that youth workers play a vital role in the lives of young people. It has been documented in dozens of ways that youth who enjoy a positive relationship with adults over time do better in life. We also know that many people enter the profession because they ‘want to make a difference’ and they enjoy building positive relationships with young people. The Executive Journey Fellowship provides Indiana’s youth workers greater opportunities to strengthen themselves as leaders and invest in their careers serving the young people of Indiana

Janet Wakefield, Journey Leader

Contact: Janet Wakefield, Indiana Youth Services Association, 317-875-5756, janet@thejourneyonline.org, www.thejourneyonline.org

The Journey is home to a variety of programs that support the renewal and professionalization of youth workers in Indiana and around the country. To learn more, visit www.thejourneyonline.org

Rubin Nieto

Area Director at Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County

574-295-6838