The Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications from rising high school juniors for the Young Emerging Leaders of Leflore (YELL) youth leadership program.
The deadline to submit applications is Thursday at 4 p.m.
Applicants must be entering their junior year and have at least a 2.5 GPA.
Accompanying applications must be a one-page typed essay explaining what leadership means to the applicant.
The program is entering its 16th year and runs from September to April. Beth Stevens, the executive director of the chamber, said it has attracted students who have graduated as valedictorians or salutatorians but is meant for all students.
“This is a way for these students to really kind of dip their toes in the leadership realm a little bit to see if it’s something they might be interested in,” she said.
The program is intended to draw from all of the Leflore County high schools but is highly competitive, with only 25 slots available per year.
Stevens said the chamber is interested in students on “the fringes” who “are not likely to jump out and be a leader,” but “hopefully through this program it will pull something out of them that will encourage them to go out and be a leader at their school or be a leader in their community.”
She said participating students are exposed to activities that build communication skills, team building, ethics and values, diversity and problem-solving.
Applications may be picked up from and dropped off at the chamber office at 402 U.S. 82.
Applications along with the essay also may be emailed to special projects coordinator Lizzie Woodard at lwoodard@
greenwoodms.com.
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
