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Last updated on Wednesday, February 11, 2015
(BLOOMINGTON) - The members of the Monroe County Youth Council (MCYC) have been selected to receive the 2015 Leading Light Award from the Franklin Initiative of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce.
This award recognizes an innovative or exemplary program that enhances our education community and will be presented at the Educators of the Year Dinner and Awards program.
The Monroe County Youth Council was created in 2011 and consists of 40 high school students from public and private high schools in Monroe County. The Council holds monthly meetings and organizes youth-led service events. A student leadership team elected from the membership meets quarterly with an adult advisory team made up of community leaders. The Youth Council is staffed by the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network (a program of the City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department), the Monroe County Public Library and United Way of Monroe County.
MCYC gives high school students the opportunity -- outside of the classroom and across school boundaries -- to select impact areas that matter to them, create service projects that address those issues, learn leadership skills and work together to give back to the community through volunteering.
The award nomination was written by Monroe County Youth Council members and Bloomington High School South students, Ivy Kehoe and Jason Cherry.
"MCYC has given us the opportunity to directly interact with community organizations," Kehoe and Cherry wrote. "Being a leader for other students in MCYC, along with our peers outside of the program, has shown these same organizations that high school students want to be a part of their city and their community, hopefully encouraging more people to volunteer in our county."
MCYC members are actively planning service projects for Bloomington's Fourth Annual Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) on Friday, April 17, when 250 high school students will volunteer at youth-led projects focusing on poverty, hunger, environment, animals, education, self-esteem and sexual assault prevention.
For more information about the Monroe County Youth Council, contact Assistant Director of the Bloomington Volunteer Network Lucy Schaich at schaichl@bloomington.in.gov or 812.349.3433 or visit www.monroecountyyouthcouncil.org.
To learn more about the awards program, which is a ticketed event, visit Franklinlnitiative.com or contact Director of Workforce Initiatives Macy Hughes at 812.336.6381 or mhughes@ChamberBloomington.org.
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