News & Events

Youth Leadership
Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Students from Brooke, Oak Glen, Weir and Weirton Madonna high schools gathered at Christ United Methodist Church on Tuesday for the final session of this year's Youth Leadership Weirton program.

The program is sponsored by the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce.

As part of the session, dubbed "Vision," teams were formed from the 29 participants attending the final session of the Youth Leadership program. Carole Scheerbaum, West Virginia University Extension agent and presenter for the session, said the final meeting was for students to discover how they fit into the business world and what some of their goals may be.

The teams were to outline a business they planned to start in the future and tell how the skills they possess now would fit into that business. Lou Stein from Valley Ventures would be the determining factor for which business would be the most viable to begin in the near future.

Students also learned the value of networking, said Scheerbaum, and setting personal goals for the future.

As part of Youth Leadership Weirton, students participated in four other sessions including one at the Challenger Learning Center in Wheeling which showed students how to work as a team. Another session was designed to teach students the impact of building a good society. The previous two sessions were designed to educate students on ethics, morals and values and how their specific personalities affect their career choices.

Julie Alatis of the Weirton Chamber stated the chamber is thrilled with the program. She said the education committee at the chamber is "phenomenal" when putting together this program as well as the High School Business Symposium set for April 14. She said various committee members help throughout the year and receive good cooperation from the schools in Brooke and Hancock counties.

Students are set to graduate from the program on April 27 at the Kings Creek Golf Course. Applications for next year's Youth Leadership Weirton program will be accepted in May.

(Dickson can be contacted at adickson@weirtondailytimes.com)