HYPE: San Diego

Mission Statement

HYPE (High School Youth Pursuing Excellence) is a dynamic student leadership team that empowers high school students to make a positive impact within CYT, the local community, and beyond. 

What does a HYPE Member Do?

Connect, dream, pray, and plan.
  • Provide CYT staff and executive leadership with insight and artistic ideas regarding programming, events, and show productions.
  • Lead socials, fundraisers, and service projects for CYT and the greater community.
  • Attend local HYPE meetings (typically 1/month)
  • HYPE Members must commit to a full year of CYT service and participation
    • Service = First class days, auditions, showcases, chapter events, and fundraising.
    • Participation = at least one session of classes
    • Show Participation = Cast, Crew, House Volunteers, Set-up or Strike 
  • Serve where you are! Even if you move from chapter to chapter, you can offer your leadership wherever the session/season takes you.

Service Projects

There are two types of service projects that HYPE does - one for CYT, and one for the community. The kinds of service projects vary according to Branch and cover everything from cleaning a CYT storage space to serving a Super Saturday breakfast to the cast, to volunteering at a soup kitchen, or visiting a retirement home.

Why does HYPE do service projects?
  1. To build a heart of servant leadership in students, which is a major aspect of HYPE’s leadership training.
  2. Practically speaking, to help CYT and the community with projects that need volunteers. It also helps spread the name of CYT into the community in a positive way.
  3. To help open students’ eyes to needs in the community that they might not have previously been aware of.
The amount of service projects that HYPE does depends on the schedule and size of the group, but generally, there are one to five per year (especially if they are doing one for CYT and one for the community within the same session).

Socials


Socials are events planned by HYPE students for the CYT community to come participate in and have fun outside of classes and rehearsals. They include things like a roller-skating night, a masquerade ball, a harvest party, a movie night, or a swing dance.

Why does HYPE plan and put on socials?
  1. To build community at CYT. Providing fun opportunities for kids to bond outside of CYT classes and rehearsals goes a long way in making CYT a closer family.
  2. To build responsibility and teamwork as students work together to plan and put on the event.
  3. To give experience that students can take with them into the next step of life (as a college RA, in a future career path, etc.).
Newer or smaller HYPE groups might put on one social per year, but older or larger HYPE groups might have one per class session for up to three or four a year (if they also do one in the summer).

FUN-draisers!

HYPE puts on fundraisers, not to raise money for CYT, but to raise money for their own goals and purposes.

What are those goals?
  1. To put on events (to pay for things such as the venue, decorations, prizes, etc.)
  2. To attend the CYT Expo
  3. To donate to causes of its choice.
Teaching budgeting and fundraising to high school students will also give them lifelong skills in handling money, which will be useful for just about any job they might acquire.

Some of the typical HYPE fundraisers include having a bake sale at auditions, doing a raffle basket during one of the show performances, charging admission to a social event, and selling doughnuts or pizza at rehearsals. There can be anywhere from one to four fundraisers per session, depending on how each HYPE group structures them.

Leadership

Leadership is a way that HYPE students build relationships with other students at CYT (generally younger and newer), intentionally seeking to help them grow and find their place at CYT and as a follower of God.

Why do HYPE students mentor others?
  1. To teach students to intentionally invest in other people’s lives
  2. To train up the next generation of leaders after them.
  3. To learn how to actively be a role model to younger CYT students, which will give more incentive for those younger students to stay involved with CYT.


Some of the ways that HYPE students lead at CYT are: building friendships with younger/newer kids; doing HYPE buddies or show buddies; leading devotions/worship at rehearsals; having a "Tween Night"; or making a "Tech Week Survival Kit" for new students.

Leadership might not be the easiest to measure, but it is the most important aspect of HYPE, because making an impact on other people's lives is the key to great relationships - and that's what HYPE aspires to teach.
  

Not Yet?

Are you a student who is eager to serve but not is not yet a freshman in High School? If you're interested in becoming part of the HYPE team in the future, we invite you to fill out our interest form.
Student Interest Form

Parent Support

Consider hosting a HYPE meeting at your home. It's a fantastic way to support the program and create a positive space for young leaders to thrive. 
Parent Interest Form