Maricopa County Teen Leadership Experience Program

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

Children and Youth Maricopa County Teen Leadership Experience Program Maricopa County, AZ Population: 3,635,528 At-risk and high-risk children in Maricopa County have been experiencing a hard time finding employment. Because no county summer program was available for summer-time employment, the Maricopa County Teen Leadership Experience Program (MCLE) was designed to give children aged 12-17 self-directed and self-paced experience to careers in county government, workshops and volunteer opportunities. The curriculum of MCLE incorporates government functions, environmental stewardship, and community responsibility with character building, leadership skill and responsible lifestyle promotion. Workshops were developed to help youth build communication, time management and teamwork. The program requires students to attend an orientation, complete at least 2 activities in government, community and environment, contribute at least 10 hours of community service, and complete the County Library District’s Summer Reading Program. Participants were allowed to choose their own schedule and choose any of the participating county departments to volunteer with. Two hundred fifty seven teens attended the orientation, 149 enrolled and 73 completed the program. County department participation increased from 5 to 20. At the end of the program, a “thank you” event was held for parents, guardians, community and county departments to congratulate the students. The County Board of Supervisors presented each concluding student with a certification of completion to recognize their achievement. This interactive program has brought insight to county residents and enhanced the level of citizen/resident participation by allowing students to work directly in county departments.