Boys & Girls Clubs focus on teen leadership development because it empowers young people to become positive agents of change within their communities, fostering a sense of responsibility, confidence, and agency, while also preparing them for future leadership roles in their personal and professional lives.

This past summer Paisleigh, a Club teen, applied and was accepted as one of ten teens nationwide, to be the foundational members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Youth Advocacy Council, working together to build the model for Youth Advocacy Councils ultimately leading teens in all 50 states. Paisleigh represented the rural teen voice. The state councils are designed to empower youth leaders to advocate for issues they care about and support local Clubs with youth-centered programming and advocacy.

Paisleigh believes “when adults and teens listen to and learn from one another, together we unlock the potential for meaningful impact in our communities.” As part of her responsibilities, Paisleigh organized and led summer “listening sessions” providing La Plata County youth with the opportunity to share valuable insights that shape both local Club programming and identify gaps in community youth programming and opportunities. Upon completing her Boys & Girls Clubs of America role, Paisleigh applied for and was selected for the new Colorado Youth Advisory Council, another opportunity to refine her leadership skills by “creating spaces for teen voices.”

Founded in 2020, Montana’s Frontier Institute is dedicated to keeping the spirit of the western frontier alive by ensuring today’s pioneers are free to build, create, and innovate for years to come. Frontier provides expert research and commentary, educational outreach, and public interest legal services to promote sound public policy in Montana. In response to the state’s housing affordability crisis, in 2023 Frontier Institute spearheaded a free-market wish list of pro-housing reforms that gave property owners more freedom to build affordable starter homes and overhauled the local planning process to speed up construction and drive housing costs down for everyone. National media dubbed it the ‘Montana Miracle’ and highlighted Frontier’s Montana Zoning Atlas report as a model for how powerful research can set the stage for successful pro-housing policy reforms.

Over the last four years, Frontier has also proudly led a complete transformation of Montana’s healthcare landscape – repealing harmful Certificate of Need laws, increasing access to low-cost prescriptions, expanding telehealth, and implementing the nation’s most expansive authorization of free market healthcare arrangements. The Adolph Coors Foundation is a proud funder of Frontier. Visit their website at frontierinstitute.org to learn more about Frontier Institute and its policy work.