YOUTH LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
University of Illinois Extension offers a Youth
Leadership Academy designed to enhance
skills possessed by teenage natural leaders.
Natural leaders are young people respected by
their peers for their ability to make decisions, for
their friendship, and for their leadership style.
The strengthened leadership skills are then shared
with other community members. A community is a
school…a youth group…a city block…a
congregation…a town…even a county. The flexible
program design promotes networking among youth
and adults facing social problems, inadequate
resources, and personal growth and achievement
challenges.
To support long-term change in cooperating
communities, Extension staff not only offer
specialized training on key issues in young natural
leaders’ lives. They also support the trained Youth
Leadership Academy graduates as they work
to plan, carry out, and monitor exciting relevant
projects.
Here’s a list of some training topics:
1. Values Awareness – increase awareness
of peoples’ different values and lifestyles to
encourage and practice non-judgmental
attitudes when relating to others.
2. Communication – strengthen listening
skills and increase awareness of the natural
desire to tackle tough problems as effective
communicators.
3. Problem Solving – learn how to solve
problems with few resources.
4. Understanding the Behavior of Children
and Other Adolescents – learn about
research-based information on the behavior
of different ages of young people.
5. Encouraging Responsible Behavior –
understand the importance for role models
to foster responsible behavior in people they
influence.
6. Conflict Resolution – explore conflict
based on past life experiences, and
discover ways to peacefully resolve it.
7. Stress Management – define stress, identify
physical and emotional causes and signs of
stress, and explore ways to relieve it.
8. Understanding Parents – examine what
parental behavior annoys adolescents,
stressors of parenting and why parents behave
as they do, and positive interaction skills to use
with parents.
9. Program Planning in the Community – put
enhanced life skills to practical use in
communities, and build support for long-term
change.
Individual or group projects are then identified by
the Youth Leadership Academy graduates,
developed and carried out during the next few
months based on what is important to them as
young people and as community leaders, and
evaluated for community impact.
Project examples include starting a neighborhood
watch, developing a school safety zone, starting a
teen planning council, planting a community
garden, working with younger children on art
activities, conducting intergenerational projects,
and starting a job preparation and placement
program.
Contact:
Steve Wagoner
Extension Educator, Youth Development
University of Illinois Extension,
Edwardsville Center
200 University Park Drive, Suite 280
Edwardsville, IL 62025-3649
Telephone 618.692.9434
FAX 618.692.9808
Email wagoners@uiuc.edu
University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in
programs and employment.
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