Many people raised in Athens County struggle to break intergenerational poverty or to see their own impact and future here. Many leave the county to seek growth and success outside of the Appalachian region. Leadership Athens County – Youth is aimed at developing a corps of informed leaders to provide dynamic community leadership now and in the future. These leaders will have the tools to identify, engage with, and work to solve challenges and ensure residents of Athens County can live – and thrive – here.
We know leadership plays a key role in advancing participation and collaboration to address longstanding challenges. Knowing that people prioritize the solutions they help create, we wanted to get young leaders involved intentionally with their community, across districts.
Accessibility, equality, and opportunity are at the heart of this program. Our target audience is not just established and self-identified young leaders, but those who may have unknown or undeveloped potential and need an opportunity to try it on. Thanks to generous support from partners like Osteopathic Heritage Foundation and members like you, we can keep this program tuition-free.
The engaging curriculum is delivered on location in community buildings and spaces throughout the county. Each program day is built around 4 learning blocks:
- A community topic focus such as arts and culture or health
- An individual leadership competency such as communication, collaboration, ethics
- A presentation by community leaders raised in Athens County who share their journeys
- A reflection activity to synthesize learning
Application Process
- Districts nominate up to ten (10) rising sophomores and juniors to program staff by end of March for following cohort year.
- Program staff perform outreach to those individuals and their adults to answer questions, provide program details, with invitation to apply.
- Student applies in online platform by end of April.
- Selection committee reviews pool of applicants and makes selection of up to thirty (30) finalists around the first week of May.
- Program staff reach out to those selected and confirm acceptance to the program.
- Program staff notify those who were not selected.
- Final cohort is confirmed by mid-May.
If a student is enrolled in an alternative or home-school program, that individual will self-nominate to program staff.
Participating School Districts
- Alexander High School
- Kara Bolin – Career Coach
- Athens High School
- Lauren Rauber, Counselor
- April Stewart, Assistant Principal
- Federal Hocking High School
- Jake Amlin, Principal
- Nelsonville-York High School
- Jen L’Heureux, Career Coach
- Amy Schumann, Counselor
- Home School Community