My name is Genesis Erickson and I was selected to be a member of the National Youth Leadership Institute (NYLI). This is a program at the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) for 18-24 year olds in the bleeding disorders community. The program provides us leadership opportunities to encourage personal growth, learn how to effect change, and positively influence others. I am excited to learn and share experiences of living with a bleeding disorder while learning how to become a distinguished leader.
This past January, I had the opportunity to attend the NYLI First year leadership training in New York City. At this event, I met the other 8 people in my cohort who come from all over the country. We had public speaking workshops, met with each department of NHF, and worked on self-development as well as emotional intelligence. It was a wonderful introduction to the program and I am so excited to continue and see where NYLI leads me.
The next month, I was on a plane to our nation’s capital for Washington Days! Here I got to tell my personal story of living with a bleeding disorder to our elected representatives. I was so happy to stand beside other people in the Florida bleeding disorders community as we advocated for a continuation of funding to our HTCs and for access to skilled nursing facilities for people with bleeding disorders. After the day on the hill, NYLI members learned all about intersectionality and then provided recommendations to the NHF on how we celebrate diversity in the bleeding disorders community and include people of all different backgrounds.
In the future, I will learn how to facilitate workshops and use those skills to deliver workshops to kids and teens all over the country. We will be a part of NHF’s annual bleeding disorders conference each year. I will also work closely with BDFF throughout my time in NYLI and after. I encourage any young adults who have an interest in becoming a change maker, especially within the bleeding disorders community, to apply to this program in the future. I am excited to serve our community in the years to come!
