CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia hosted the Virginia/DC Youth of the Year competition earlier this week, marking the first time the event was hosted in the region.

Along with the competition, the Central Virginia clubs also hosted the state area council meeting for this year, which had previously been held as separate events before this year. BGCCA COO Michael Gulley said having both events at the same time helped keep the staff and board members’ mission in perspective.

“Being able to hear from the teens from around the state and their experiences and their stories just really highlighted why we do the work that we do,” he said.

The Youth of the Year portion of the event, which is the Boys & Girls Club’s annual national competition that aims to develop leadership abilities in its members, culminated in a dinner at the Omni Hotel on Tuesday night, in which the 2026 Virginia/DC Traditional Youth of the Year and Military Youth of the Year were selected. In total, 17 club members representing both traditional and military clubs made the trip.

Christian B-S. of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Virginia was selected as the Traditional Youth of the Year, while Alexander R. of Naval Air Station Oceana was selected as the Military Youth of the Year. Both had the opportunity the give their speeches at the dinner following the announcement of their selections. Christian’s speech focused on his struggles growing up without his father while also stepping into a caregiver role for his sick mother. Alexander’s speech focused on his experiences and struggles with his father active in the Navy.

“They’re just amazing young people that clearly have thought about their futures and we’re able to connect personally their stories with how the club really help them become the people that they are,” Gulley said of the two winners, “and it was just amazing to hear their stories.”

Gulley said in the times he’s had the chance to talk with the Youth of the Year finalists, their chaperones and staff during the three days they were in Charlottesville, they all stressed to him how much the youth enjoyed the event. He said when watching the youth participate in activities with each other on Tuesday afternoon and night, he could see how much they were engaging with each other how much fun they were having.

“There was a lot of work that went into it, and the way that things kind of played out, for all intents and purposes, it was a really good three days that we had everybody here and we would definitely be open to going through this process again if the opportunity presented itself,” he said of the local club hosting the event.

Gulley’s biggest takeaway from the event was how “amazing” the young people he interacted with this past week were, and how hearing their stories left him with a good feeling about the future.

“I know sometimes there’s questions about this generation,” he said, “and what the future holds for them, but hearing from these young people, I think the future is pretty bright. You could tell they really care about their peers; they really care about their communities and doing positive things in the world.”