The Leaders Corps
In our efforts to create leadership opportunities for older youth and to promote youth voice in our own organization, we developed the Leaders Corps in 2006. Comprised of college students and older youth who have been through our VOICES programming and our Leadership Development Institute, the Leaders Corps implements both the VOICES and the P.O.W.E.R Internship curricula, recruits program participants, develops and conducts workshops in the community and participates in UCCP staff meetings and planning and hiring decisions. Leaders Corps members have conducted workshops on issues related to youth development and issues of importance to youth such as education, public safety, media as a tool for social change, public speaking and the like. As a testimony to the high quality of their work and their nuanced understanding of issues related to youth, the Leaders Corps has been invited to make presentations at professional conferences in Philadelphia and its environs, Harrisburg and Washington, DC.
The Leaders Corps also works closely with the Assistant Director on project-based collaborations and on special projects, thereby applying their leadership skills in helping other organizations incorporate youth voice into decision-making. The Leaders Corps receives ongoing training and support related to their job responsibilities as well as to their own personal development.