PAINTED POST, N.Y. (WENY) -- Over 150 teenagers from dozens of YMCA locations in the Northeast traveled to The Y at Watson Woods in Painted Post for the weekend. The Annual Northeast Leaders Club Winter Rally allows teens to learn from each other on how to become better leaders. 

Participants kicked off the weekend together by working on various leadership and development skills throughout the facility. This year, that includes a new event center that just opened its doors at The Y at Watson Woods.

"The best thing about Winter Rally is you're having those teens from different socioeconomic backgrounds," said Chris Esposito, the director of the Winter Rally. "So you're having rural New Hampshire, New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, and it's really great to see them with peers, peers that they haven't necessarily interacted before. They have different lives, different upbringings and they get to share that here for this weekend and hopefully take some of that home and then bring it back to their community."

Some of the teenagers traveled for hours by bus to participate in the Leaders Club retreat. Once they arrived, they split up into smaller groups with other teenagers from across the region who they will spend the rest of the weekend with.

Together, they will have discussions, play games, and more in order to learn what makes a good leader from each other's perspectives. On Saturday morning, they collaborated to make team chants and songs for the dining hall.

"I feel for me and for other people, what's important is that you can see the bigger picture on what Leaders Club is really about and like what they're really trying to go for," said Shawn Perion, a 15-year-old participant from New York City. "And to me, when you go around here, maybe it's not just like the dancing, maybe it's not just the parties, but the core lessons and what they teach about what Leaders Club is really about. That is what I feel is really important."

As part of this season's Winter Rally, The Y at Watson Woods also debuted its new event center. Moving forward, the space, formerly known as the indoor swimming pool, will be able to hold about 250 people at a time to play on the turf, use pickleball courts, and more. This weekend, however, teen leaders will officially break it in, use it to make friends, and learn skills for their future endeavors.

"Being able to care for each person and knowing that everyone is different and that different is something special, and knowing that you are always included," said Alisha Irizarry, a 17-year-old participant from Rochester. "We are like a family put together and that just because we're not blood does not mean we're not actually family."

Whether or not they were returning leaders or new leaders, some say they were just glad to have the opportunity to meet new people along the way.

For a list of programming and upcoming events, including Maple Syrup Weekend from March 14 to March 16, you can check out The Y at Watson Woods' schedule here.