NPS Photo

L to R: Little Rock Central High School Students Aya Kondo, Bobby Jones, Ronald Armstrong, and Emily Hill.

Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Launches a Youth Leadership Academy

Promoting Volunteerism, Nonviolence, Youth empowerment and Stewardship for the National Park Service!

The Little Rock Central High School NHS Youth Leadership Academy: Agents of Change is a new program sponsored by Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. This pilot program will include nine high school students from the greater Little Rock area. Submissions will be accepted immediately and the deadline for submissions is Friday, January 8, 2010 at 4:00 pm CST. The selection of students will be announced on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Monday, January 18, 2010.

The purpose of the Youth Leadership Academy: Agents of Change is to involve young leaders at the Historic Site to promote volunteerism, nonviolence, youth empowerment and stewardship for the National Park Service. Our mission is to help develop student leaders, raise consciousness in communities, and encourage creativity in education about civil and human rights. Participants will seek knowledge of themselves and the local and global community, and pass that knowledge on to others as change agents for leadership and nonviolence.

The nine high school students will be empowered through interactive workshops, leadership training and dialogue with influential guest speakers, in order to foster global responsibility and service to the community. One unique aspect of the Youth Leadership Academy: Agents of Change is the youth involvement in the planning and implementation of the program. The Academy will run from Monday, January 18, 2010 until September 2011.