Youth Program Modeled after the Leadership Program, Youth Leadership has become widely-known for its impact on Palm Beach County’s youngest leaders as they prepare for college and envision future careers. The genesis of the program can be traced to the opening retreat for the Class of 1989. As a community service project, the class decided to have a “Youth Leadership Day” where two dozen high school juniors were invited to learn about county government, the media and education in Palm Beach County. A few years later, the Youth Leadership program was approved as a new LPBC offering.
The Youth Leadership Program helped solidify the thought that we are all an important cog in our community. Everyone can make a difference and contribute to the betterment of our society. Rebecca Seelig, Youth Leadership Class of 1993 The program is available to local high school juniors who are admitted based on the recommendation of school administrators and faculty. Alumni program coordinators encourage students to reflect on their future as community leaders and build necessary skills including public speaking and resume-writing. At the yearly Youth Program graduation ceremony, several students receive scholarships from funds contributed by local donors and the Songwriters in the Round event. A total of $47,000 has been awarded through 2013.
Impact
“I have had many kids come back to me over the years and say that Youth Leadership PBC was the most significant and meaningful part of their high school experience.” Eric Hopkins, Class of 1995
Ethics Initiative The Leadership Palm Beach County Ethics Initiative was launched in 2007 following the convictions of several county and municipal elected officials, with the belief that LPBC could be a catalyst for replacing the “Corruption County” image with a “Culture of Ethics” label. A committee was formed to study best practices in ethics policy and education, survey opinion leaders, advise on public policy and host community-wide forums on ethics. Later, the committee successfully formed a coalition with a number of community and business groups to bring about ethics reform in Palm Beach County.
The county commission and staff were strongly opposed, making it difficult to get traction, but the tenacity of the steering committee and the involvement of the state attorney ultimately led to successful implementation.
David Baker, Class of 1989, Ethics Initiative co-founder
1992
LPBC Inc Board of Directors and LPBC Alumni Association Board merge to form LPBC Board of Governors
1991
FOCUS program launched
The committee created the county’s first Ethics Pledge and their efforts ultimately resulted in the creation of a county Commission on Ethics, Office of Inspector General and Code of Ethics within the county charter. Recognizing that compliance measures were only half of the solution for curing the “Corruption County” image, members of the committee acted as advisors for the creation of a Center for Applied Ethics at Palm Beach State College. The center focuses on providing education and training to assist individuals and organizations with creating a culture of ethics.
1992
First Youth Leadership class graduates.
1998
Leadership Palm Beach County Graduate Count hits 500!
1999
New Leadership logo unveiled