William Penn Graduate to Present “Serving Our Youngest Heroes: The Army National Guard Child and Youth Services Program”
William Penn University
(OSKALOOSA, Iowa) – William Penn University graduate, Jeremy Van Wyk, will present on Monday, April 23, at 6:00 p.m. in the Musco Technology Center (MTC) on William Penn University’s Oskaloosa campus. The presentation will cover the unique challenges that military-connected youth face and the youth service program that ensures those individuals have the resources necessary to remain resilient through their adversities. Van Wyk will explain what has helped this national program grow to serve more than 66,000 military youth and nearly 140,000 military and civilian adults each year.
About the Speaker
In 2002, Jeremy Van Wyk graduated from William Penn University with a degree in Elementary Education; later earning his Masters in Educational Leadership from Concordia University in 2013. Van Wyk began teaching at the elementary level, following graduation from William Penn, teaching sixth grade and middle school literature/language arts in the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Community School District. In 2004, he was hired as a contractor to work with National Guard Bureau on the development of a national Child and Youth Program. After a year of developing this program and traveling around the country training military youth and adults, Jeremy returned to Iowa to serve as the Iowa Lead Child and Youth Program Coordinator, before assuming the Western Region Assistant Program Manager position in 2012. As the Western Region Assistant Program Manager, Van Wyk was responsible for the management and professional development of Child and Youth Program Coordinators in the 25 states and territories west of the Mississippi River. In early 2017, he was promoted to the National Program Manager position, actively managing a team of 100+ youth service professionals in all 50 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia.
The Leaders Speak Series is an annual initiative that reaches out to the community with diverse leadership-based themes. The 2017–18 series has expanded on the theme “Ignite,” which aims at bringing in speakers to encourage students and community members to pursue their passions and promote positive change. The event is free and open to the public and can also be streamed online at: www.wmpenn.edu/leaders.
