Every year at Athens Drive, eight juniors are picked to enter the Youth Leadership Cary program. Sponsored by the Cary Chamber of Commerce, this program was created in 1998.

The purpose for the group is to develop students into strong leaders who will positively impact the future community by being experienced and skilled workers. Meetings are conducted once a month between October and April. Also, the participants go on field trips once a month to learn about businesses, community service and leadership.

“The leadership program offered a unique way to become involved in the community and learn about local businesses. Touring various organizations gave us a new perspective from the owners as well as connections with students from neighboring high schools,” said former member, Lauren Howard, senior.

The program consists of 40 students from Athens Drive, Cary, Green Hope, Middle Creek and Panther Creek high school. These students get selected based on their applications and interviews. They have to be able to miss seven days of school for the required field trips while maintaining high grades.

“I did Youth Leadership because I wanted to experience how leadership in the real world looks first hand. I think it has made me a more well-informed person who is better prepared for working,” said Ayah Samara, junior.

Glen Bass is the advisor for the Youth Leadership Cary program at Athens Drive. Each year, he reviews junior applications and conducts interviews for potential candidates. He picks the eight most promising students that show potential in leadership, but need the extra push to help them fully develop as a leader.

“Youth Leadership Cary provides students who have leadership potential with the opportunity to develop and enhance leadership skills through learning how business and government work together. They are exposed to many aspects of community that includes town government, law enforcement, and businesses,” said Bass.

They participate in service projects to increase engagement and experience in helping the community. These students take team building activities to learn how to work with other people and create a sense of trust and confidence. These team building activities create strong communication skills which are vital for working with others during a job.

The team goes on business tours each year, visiting many local companies and observing how they operate. The students focus on leadership philosophies and brainstorm what they can do to improve the local and national economy.

Another focus of the program is to inform how the government works. The group was taken on field trips to meet the mayor, tour the governor’s office, visit a court and observe a jail.

“My favorite trip was being able to sit in a real judicial court and see how the process works. We even got to act out a case with a judge and it was very informative through actually experiencing it,” said Samara.