Youth Leadership Athens is open to 10th- and 11th-grade students. Priority is given to students who attend Athens Academy, Athens Christian, Cedar Shoals, Clarke Central, Monsignor Donovan, Prince Avenue, and Westminster, or who attend another school and reside in Athens-Clarke County. Homeschooled students who are Athens-Clarke County residents also receive priority consideration. YLA may consider students from other schools who are not ACC residents when space is available or special situations arise. In recent years, applications have far exceeded our available spaces, and we have been unable to accept students from other public school systems.
Before you begin:
Talk with your parent or guardian to ensure you have support to participate. We will email your parent/guardian a permission form so they can learn more about the program and give permission for you to participate. A registration fee is required, but financial assistance is available. As you talk with your parent/guardian, be sure to discuss the registration cost. If you are selected, payment is due before the first session.
Select two references (one from school and one from the community) to complete the reference form on your behalf. You may select teachers, administrators, coaches, or others who can speak on your behalf. You can ask your reference to visit the webpage to complete the online recommendation. We will also email those you list as your references, so be sure to have their email addresses. Talk with your references before you apply so they expect the request and can complete it on time.
Think about your experiences. You will list 3-4 of the organizations or activities you are involved in and your role in those organizations. You may have to narrow your list to select the most meaningful to you. You will also share any awards and recognition you may have received, limited to 5. You can still apply if you don’t have the 3-4 organizations or 5 awards. List those that you do have. We are seeking a diverse group of young individuals with varied experiences.
Reflect on why you would like to be part of Youth Leadership Athens, what leadership skills you’d like to develop, and what in the Athens area you’d like to learn more about if you were a participant. Include this information in your application.
Prepare to write a short essay on one of two topics. You may 1)identify a situation you observed and describe how leadership impacted the decisions made OR 2)identify someone you consider a leader and discuss the leadership traits you observed. Consider this a short essay, and include more than just a few sentences.
It may help to draft your responses first in a Google Doc or Word Doc to ensure spelling, grammar, and punctuation are correct. You can copy and paste your responses to the application. You may even want someone to review your work for typographical errors and content. Remember, we want to learn about you. While you want your responses to be correct, you also want them to be authentically you.
Forms to Complete and Share
Applications are due November 18, 2026 & the 2027 class is announced in mid-December
Youth Leadership Athens 