"At the end of the day, we have students sit in a closing circle," said youth involvement coordinator Wendy Havemann in November, 2004, about Iowa 's Youth Training Core (YTC). "And we've had kids say we've changed there lives."

The trainers who evoke this reaction are the 32 high school students in the Core, a project of the Institute for Character Development at Drake University in Des Moines. The students crisscross the state showing other youths how to make good choices. "It's a powerful day," says Ms. Havemann.

"Response has been fabulous," she adds. High schoolers are harder to reach with the character message than younger kids, and the YTC cuts through the barrier.

What's the secret? These youths have received extensive training in CC! facilitation skills, but that's just the start. "The power of youths talking to other youths is absolutely phenomenal," says Ms. Havemann. "If I stood there and said the same words, it wouldn't have the same impact." The YTC members also can tell stories of times they've used the Six Pillars to calm difficult situations, or faced a tough decision and negotiated it successfully with the Pillars. "It's just more relevant to students."

YTC trainers cover all of the Six Pillars, using a three-step process. They present knowledge, then an activity, and then analyze the activity through Pillars. "We actually help youth to discover how to process choices through the Pillars," Ms. Havemann says.

Her daughter has become a YTC member. "She REALLY likes it," Ms. Havemann observes. "In the two years I've been here, I have seen a lot of youth show tremendous growth -- in character, in belief in what they say, in leadership. And to date, 100 percent of YTC students have gone on to college. So it's a real self-esteem builder as well."

It has also affected her own life. "It raises the bar for me. I have to act extra carefully regarding the Six Pillars. I know if I did something really wrong, I'd be a phony," she says. "But I also get to work with youth who are very, very good, working hard to do the right thing. It enables me to feel very optimistic about the culture here."

For more information about the program, go to: http://www.drake.edu/icd/Youth_Involvement_YTC.htm