Los Alamitos Youth Center Leadership Academy to take place in July

Past Leadership Academy grads pictured above. Courtesy photo

The Leadership Academy, a program designed to provide high school students and graduates with specialized training to prepare them for real world challenges outside of high school, will take place at the Los Alamitos Youth Center July 7-10.

The Youth Center Leadership Academy will partner with local businesses, educators and residents to provide training on everything from goal setting, banking, resume building and interviewing, an introduction to cooking, and basic car maintenance.

Thirty youth candidates from 16-19 years of age, will be selected to participate in the week-long program.

Exclusive workshops refined each year include the hottest topics recommended by teens embarking on the adventures of adulthood that await them beyond high school.

“We want to keep things fresh and relevant for the participants, to ensure that in the time they are with us, they learn the basic life and career skills they will need to succeed as well-rounded adults,” said Lina Lumme, Youth Center executive director.

The curriculum includes workshops on money management, goal setting, living independently, public speaking, college prep, business basics, creating a resume, interview skills smart travel skills and more. “We’re teaching kids how to succeed in adult life,” continued Lumme. “We’re teaching them to fish so they’ll eat for a lifetime.”

Upon completion, each participant will emerge from the program not only with invaluable skills, but a certificate of completion, written goals, a letter of recommendation, a resume, bank account (with parental permission), a professional photo, a mentor and friendships to last a lifetime.

Registration for The Youth Center Leadership Academy opens soon. The Youth Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to transform children’s lives one family at a time through collaborative social, educational and recreational programs.

Since the birth of the Youth Center in 1952, it has been honored to establish valuable partnerships within the community and acknowledges their critical importance in the organization’s current and future success.

For more information call 562-248-6777 or visit www.TheYouthCenter.org.