Lee County Young Leaders

Program Vision: Ensuring our youth are prepared as leaders to meet future challenges that arise in our city, county, and state.

Program Description: The Lee County Young Leaders Program is a year-long, county-wide leadership experience for high school juniors and seniors across Lee County, Alabama. Through hands-on sessions, small-group discussions, and real-world experiences, students build leadership skills while forming meaningful connections with peers and some of the area’s most respected business, nonprofit, and community leaders.

Participants gain practical tools in communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and civic engagement while learning how their community works behind the scenes. By the end of the program, students leave with a strong professional network, a deeper understanding of local leadership, and the confidence to step into future roles on boards, committees, and service organizations.

Our goal is simple: to inspire and equip the next generation of leaders who will invest their talents back into Lee County and help our community thrive.

Program Goals:

To select a diverse class of highly motivated participants who represent the diversity of racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups in Lee County, Alabama.
To explore the diverse facets of Lee County’s government, business, economic development, health care, criminal justice, and other aspects of community life.
To instill and nurture a sense of social responsibility in our youth.
To provide opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to meet and develop mutual understanding, respect, and trust.
To offer participants opportunities for volunteer community involvement and service.
To encourage our youth to find satisfying job opportunities so he/she will come home to Lee County, Alabama to live, learn, work, worship, play, raise his/her family.

APPLY FOR LEE COUNTY YOUNG LEADERS

Application deadline for 2026-2027 Lee County Young Leaders is April 17, 2026!

To participate in the Lee County Young Leaders Program, students must meet the following criteria:

Reside in Lee County, Alabama.
Attend a city or county regionally accredited high school, private or home school in Lee County.
Must be willing and able to attend all the sessions.
Be an 11^th or 12^th grade student during the period of the class program.
Must be up to date on Core Classes.
Maintain a 3.0 Grade-Point Average.
Provide own transportation to Session.

Program Format and Participation

Lee County Young Leaders begins in September 2026 and consists of one session per month until April 2027. In addition, there will be a mandatory orientation session in the month prior to the first class session and a Graduation in April. Participants are exposed to a variety of viewpoints that illustrate the political, educational, and social factors at work in Lee County. They will meet area leaders in business, media, government, education, and service organizations. The student also receives a 1-hour Leadership credit to Southern Union State Community College.

Participants must make a commitment to the program. Attendance at each monthly session are prerequisites for graduation from the program. Participants will be allowed to miss two full-day sessions due to illness or a death in the family. However, it is preferred that class participants strive for perfect attendance. Students missing more than 2 full-day sessions will be dismissed from the program.

While we certainly understand that students are busy, we have high expectations for this program in order for our students to accomplish the many learning objectives. Also, because of the tremendous amount of time and effort that goes into planning our sessions, we need all of the students present for the ENTIRE day.

For the students selected to participate in our program, we stress that the students need to make arrangements with their teachers, coaches, band/choir directors, etc. so that they can attend for the full day. We ask that the school’s administration help our students with this so that they can make up any work and/or activities that they miss as a result of participating in this program.

Selection Process

Thirty-four (34) juniors and seniors in high schools, home schools and private schools in Lee County are chosen for the program through an application process. The applications are judged anonymously based on application neatness, extracurricular activities and hobbies, career choice, and demonstrated leadership qualities.

To participate in the Lee County Young Leaders Program, students must meet the following criteria:

Reside in Lee County, Alabama.
Attend a city or county regionally accredited high school, private or home school in Lee County.
Must be willing and able to attend all the sessions.
Be an 11th or 12th grade student during the period of the class program.
Must be up to date on Core Classes.
Maintain a 3.0 Grade-Point Average.
Provide own transportation to Session.