.. J n a brainsto rming session in 2007, teens, led by Director of the Institute of Church and Family Andrew Baker, formulated the idea of the Day ofEncouragement. In 2009, the Day of Encouragement became a week- long event that stretched from coas t to coast. On a plane back from Oklahoma City, Baker began a conversation with the man in the seat beside him. "We were talking about how unfortunate it is that you don't hear about good kids on the news," Baker said . "I wanted to do something that highlights what's right [with kids]; not deny the wrong, but show both sides." In the Spring of 2008, Baker put a team together that could help get the word Qut . H e started raising support from different people and corporations and he got in contact wi th Nancy Retherford, a communi – cations consultant who helped with public relations, "It was fun to get this story out ," Retherford said. Baker pitched a proposal to Southwest Airlines; that they provide tickets for the crew involved in the event. Southwest offered to almost double the tickets that were originally asked for, making it possible for the honored teenagers to travel to the finale in New York City on the Day of Encouragement. The teens that were spotlighted through the week were chosen through a variety of means. Some were selected for consideration by guidance counselors, others were nominated by people online through th e \ Seven Days Across America lte. VVhen the week finally arrive ,two teams o f students and professionals alike each toured seven cities, cover– ing a total of 14, giving the press the opportun ity to cover something positive about America's teenagers . "We didn't have the media cooperation we were hoping for ," Baker said. "In a way that just made our case stronger. There are some great teenagers [out there], but whenever you see a teenager in the main – stream media. it's negative ." Footage for a documentary was filmed throughout the week to reiterate the good. Baker intended for the collected footage to be edited into a short documen– tary to reinforce the positive connotations ofAmerican teenagers. "It was so inspiring," Retherford said. "After that trip I decided that our future is in some very good hands." Wishing Well, an organization aiming to provide clean water to developing countries, pulled the main event together in New York City. They provided enter– tainment and premiered their own documentary. The stories of the chosen teens were told and then a panel of high profile judges, along with the voters online chose a winner. "We met some absolutely amazing teenagers ," Baker said. "There are a lot of things about people that are right. " Penelope Cronk Senior Tyler Jones grins as come– dian Jeff Foxworthy keeps the at– mosphere on set loose while filming the public service announcement for the project. Jones was hired as a videographer for the project. Noah Darnell 144 leadership
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