LAGRANGE: The LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce recently announced the 59 high-school students selected for the 2015 Youth Leadership class.The Youth Leadership program sponsored by the chamber gives future leaders insight into how they can positively contribute to their communities and schools, reaching far into their adult lives.
This year’s class is the largest in chamber history, and represents LaGrange, Troup and Callaway high schools; LaGrange Academy and Lafayette Christian School in LaGrange, and Springwood School in Lanett, Alabama.“You are to be commended for your great applications that truly made the selection process difficult,” chamber President Page Estes said to the students at their orientation.
“This is one of the first steps in your leadership journey, to start with Youth Leadership, then possibly move on to our adult program, Leadership Troup, and then to ultimately participate in Leadership Georgia, which is recognized as one of the top programs across the country for leadership development.”The students’ first team building exercise required them to take part in a ropes course at Camp Viola.
The teens learned to rely on their strengths and those of their classmates and gained the courage to tackle new adventures.The program is not the same their brothers and sisters or parents participated in, however. This year, Youth Leadership is being piloted by the Georgia LEADS program of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the University of Georgia’s Fanning Institute, which has a mission to grow quality leaders across the state.
