Area high school students learned valuable leadership skills during a special one-day Youth MAX Leadership conference at the South Central Ohio Educational Service Center (ESC), in New Boston, on Dec. 13.
“Youth MAX centers around the premise of how we handle losses and how we overcome those losses, because many times that’s what teens struggle with. They don’t understand why things negatively impact them or how to react to loss. It’s really giving them skills, strategies, and foundations for becoming a better leader and coping with losses and adversity in life,” said ESC Curriculum Supervisor Kara Copeland.
The ESC Gifted and Curriculum departments collaborated with local business owners involved in Southern Ohio Professional Partners to offer the program to students.
Members of the Southern Ohio Professional Partners served as small-group facilitators for the event. Each student participant received a copy of John Maxwell’s book, “Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn.” Maxwell is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, coach and speaker who has sold more than 24 million books and is often called America’s number one authority on leadership.
“This event is a wonderful opportunity for our local leaders of today to meet and interact with students who will become our leaders of tomorrow,” said Gifted Services Coordinator Sharee Price.
Thirty students – one junior and one senior each from 15 school districts -- were selected to participate.
“It’s designed to help build the capacity of leadership in the community. The students selected by their districts are leaders within their school. This allows them to connect with leaders in the community and hopefully down the road grow their capacity in Scioto County to establish a business or do something to help promote our area,” said ESC Curriculum Supervisor Tammy Hambrick.
The Youth MAX Leadership program is sponsored by Portsmouth Rotary, the Scioto Foundation, and Southern Ohio Medical Center, with volunteers from Southern Ohio Professional Partners. For more information about the ESC, visit online at www.scoesc.org, or follow on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.