Mission
Alabama Youth Leadership Programs is committed to providing no-cost, equal opportunity, non-discriminatory leadership training to high school students in Alabama. By teaching responsible leadership, we help these students enhance and understand their leadership abilities for the betterment of their schools and communities.
We believe that at the core of true leadership is service to others. We intend to empower our students with the “I will make a difference” attitude.
Our Program
Each fall, we invite each high school in Alabama, public and private, to nominate a delegate to a conference that takes place in the spring. Each high school receives a letter of invitation to select one student to represent the school at the three-day conference. The only requirements are that the student shows leadership potential, attends the entire conference, and provides his/her own transportation to and from the conference site. There is no charge to the student, parent, or school. Alabama Youth Leadership Programs is organized and run entirely by volunteers who also raise the funds for the conference from the business and private sector. Even the adult supervisors, staff and speakers at the conference receive no compensation for their time or talent. During the conference, students are exposed to leaders from business, government, science, education and media. We use team building exercises and games to teach leadership qualities and skills. We also perform a volunteer service project, which is the culmination of projects the students began once they were nominated and selected by their high schools. As an end to that project, we challenge the students to devote 100 hours to community service over the next year.
Our Funding
As a non-profit organization (IRC Section 501(c)(3)), we do not charge for the service we provide. We do not pursue government monies. Our program is staffed by volunteers and funded entirely through fundraising in the private sector. Most of our donations come from corporations and civic clubs (Rotary, Alabama Federation of Women’s Clubs, etc.). A complete list of donors can be obtained through the contact information below.
Contact
If you would like more information or want to get involved with Alabama Youth Leadership Programs, please contact Paige Casey at 205-437-7579 (work) or 205-786-6932 (home). We welcome any questions you have about our program and look forward to an exciting year!