Youth Leadership Academy

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

The Youth Leadership Academy brings together local teenagers and county officials in interactive sessions about county programs and services. Thirty-five high school juniors and seniors from public, private, and charter school throughout Alameda County are accepted into this free program designed to inform youth about the County’s role in the community while also providing a forum for youth to express their concerns about their communities and develop public speaking and team-building skills. The academy, held each fall, consists of five 3-hour Saturday morning sessions. Each session is held in a different county facility and focuses on a different county service such as health care, social services, public protection, and civil service careers. Participants learn first-hand from staff that provide these services and get to tour facilities that are not widely viewed by the public such as the Juvenile Justice Center and the Crime Lab.