CLEVELAND, Tenn. (July 21, 2009)—Recruitment is complete for the 24 rising juniors and seniors from Cleveland, Bradley Central and Walker Valley High Schools who will comprise the 2009-10 Youth Leadership class. Youth Leadership is a workforce development program of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce.

Similar to the adult Leadership Cleveland, the Youth Leadership program helps to build Cleveland/Bradley County leaders of the future by focusing on leadership skills, teamwork and knowledge of the community today. Topics throughout the nine-month program include Local Economy, Health and Social Services, State Government, City Services and County Services presented through discussions, tours, on-site visitations, and informal question-and-answer sessions. Students also participate in a two-day retreat to build relationships and leadership skills.

“We enjoy working with these students each year,” Sherry Crye, Youth Leadership coordinator, said about the program that runs from August 2009 through April 2010.

“Most of them already exhibit qualities of a good leader in their respective schools, from academics to athletics. What we do is give them opportunities to experience different aspects of the community to increase their awareness of leadership opportunities that are available to them.”

Crye added, “The better we educate our students about what makes Cleveland and Bradley County strong, the more likely they will be to remain in ‘their’ community and the better they will be prepared to become our community leaders in the future.”

Cleveland High School youth leaders for the coming academic year are Gabby Earby, Elliott Good, Jennifer Griffith, Morgan Isom, Emily Johnson, Catherin Jordan, Ben Murphy, Ayesha Rock, Erica Tipton and Devon Vaughn.

Walker Valley High School youth leaders are Lindsay Belk, Cody Burrell, Robby Cvaldwell, Chelsea Gondek, Jessica Harper, Olivia Howard, Hannah Ingram, Stephenie McKinney, Mack Suits and William Zierenberg.