The Ohio-West Virginia YMCA and its HI-Y Leadership Center work to let
teenagers exercise civic leadership first hand. Flex-E-Grant has helped sponsor
teens from distressed counties for programs such as:
- Hi-Y Leadership Summit
- Youth in Government
- Teen Entrepreneurial Civic Leadership
Communities face problems of too few people volunteering, too many talented
individuals leaving, and youth not stepping up to fill vacated civic roles. HI-Y
seeks to strengthen communities by giving teenagers the experiences they need
to build a sense of personal and civic responsibility, commitment to serve and
willingness to act.
The Flex-E-Grant program enabled 28 teens from ARC distressed and at-risk
counties to attend the residential HI-Y Leadership Summit. During their week
at YMCA Camp Horseshoe, the teens created their own community. The teens practiced leadership, communication,
team building, problem solving, and program planning skills in creative service projects.
The HI-Y Youth in Government program enlisted 49 teens and 12 adult mentors from distressed and at-risk counties for
roles as legislators, press, pages, lobbyists and justices in Youth in Government and in Model United Nations.
The Entrepreneurial program
helped teens build a
foundation of entrepreneurial
thinking, skills and actions.
Flex-E-Grant scholarships
allowed 28 teens from
distressed counties to attend
a week-long immersion
exercise with teens from nondistressed
counties at YMCA
Camp Horseshoe. Participants
were encouraged to learn
to network with peers from
other backgrounds, exchange
ideas and recognize new
opportunities.