Chamber of Commerce’s Youth Leadership Academy Celebrates Power of Achievement

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Chamber of Commerce’s Youth Leadership Academy

The 9th Annual Youth Leadership Academy was held from April 24-26 at Neumann University, ending with a presentation ceremony and reception.

The Youth Leadership Academy targets 30 high school sophomores from schools all across Delaware County to participate and absorb the basic skills of leadership sponsored by The Delaware County Workforce Investment Board, Youth Council, and The Foundation of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce.

Michele Martin, certified Career Development Instructor, pulls students out of their comfort zone to create comradery, confidence, and future leaders. These 10th-grade students arrived on Day 1, meeting 29 peers from different schools. They ended this three-day program in teams doing a presentation and left as friends with an experience no one can teach.

Students participated in small roundtable discussions with a business professional, listening to stories of success, failures, and leadership, as well as asking questions. Students met eight panelists of various backgrounds, some of whom included:

  • Jack Whelan, District Attorney
  • Phil Heron, Editor of the Daily Times
  • Colleen Morrone, Councilwoman and CEO of Goodwill Industries
  • Michael Simpson, Partner at Brinker, Simpson, & Co.
  • Sgt. Dave DiTrolio of Springfield Police

On the final day of Youth Leadership Academy, the teams developed their IGNITE presentation about Leadership. The IGNITE format is five minutes in length, with 20 slides automatically advancing every 15 seconds. The sophomores embraced the opportunity to get up in front of parents, sponsors, and board members to engage the audience and talk about their leadership experience.

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