Seeking Student Leaders: Applications Open for Leadership Conference in Orlando

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 19, 2009
CONTACT: Ali Glisson, (850) 385-7800; cell (813) 293-1563

Seeking Student Leaders: Applications Open For Leadership Conference in Orlando

College students and the high school classes of 2010 and 2011 are invited to apply for the Lawton Chiles Leadership Corps conference, Aug. 8-9

Aspiring student leaders and organizers are invited to apply now for the inaugural class of the Lawton Chiles Leadership Corps, a student leadership group with the goal of educating, inspiring and providing hands on training in community leadership, empowering students to work for change. Chaired by Senator Bob Graham, students from across Florida will meet at a two-day conference in Orlando slated for August 8-9th. The Leadership Corps will engage in a continuing effort after the Leadership Corps event in their own communities and on their own campuses.

Applications are available at www.lawtonchiles.org and www.WorstToFirst.org, and should be received no later than July 10. Current college students and the high school classes of 2010 and 2011 are eligible to attend. All expenses to attend will be covered, with the exception of transportation to and from the event and a small registration fee, for which financial aid may be available. The students selected will receive community service hours required for Bright Futures Scholarships, and can list this leadership experience on their college applications and resumes. For more information, contact Geoff Chiles at lclc@worsttofirst.org, call (850) 385-7800 or (407) 902-8302.

Students will also have the opportunity to interact with leaders from various sectors: federal and state government, non-profit organizations and local businesses. Additionally, students will participate in brainstorming sessions with peers on strategies to effect change at a statewide level. The program is modeled after the nationally successful Truth campaign, a youth-driven effort that dramatically reduced teen smoking rates and created dozens of future leaders. The Leadership Corps will work to improve Florida’s performance on key indicators that affect young people. For example, did you know:
• As a state, Florida spends only 3.1% of its resources on education, 42nd in the country.
• Florida ranks 50th in spending on education, but ranks 16th in the nation in per capita spending on corrections.
• Florida students rank 48th in average composite scores on the ACT, a standard college entrance exam.