Inspiring Georgia’s Future Leaders
High school students from across Georgia participate in a year-long training program. Youth LEAD Georgia is helping them prepare to lead the state into the future.
File Under
Under the summer morning sun, Amelia Claire Anderson paddled alongside her Youth LEAD Georgia peers through the Okefenokee Swamp.
Anderson, who was 400 miles from her northwest Georgia home of Trenton, was experiencing some lessons in teamwork.
During the three-hour swamp trek, canoes would sometimes veer in the wrong direction or careen onto a canal bank, eliciting a mixture of laughter and frustration.
“Teamwork only works with clear communication,” says Anderson. “We all had the same goal, to move forward, but we had to paddle together to get to our destination. It is not enough to have the same goal. You must be united in how to accomplish it.”
Communication was one of many leadership lessons students learned in the inaugural Youth LEAD Georgia program, which concluded in November with a graduation event.
Changing Perspectives
Youth LEAD Georgia equips youth with the skills and knowledge to be the future state leaders. The program is a partnership among the University of Georgia’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, Chick-fil-A, Inc., and The Same House organization.
The inaugural class, selected from a pool of 300 nominations, was made up of 30 high school students from 29 counties.
“It changed my perspective on my future when we discussed postsecondary options.”
-Addie Drinnon
Over a year, participants explored key leadership skills and met with community and business leaders in communities across Georgia.
“It has been interesting to not just learn about leadership in a classroom but to get out, meet people, and learn how they have developed their leadership skills and used them in their communities,” says Owen Osborne of Newnan.
They toured college campuses and learned more about key Georgia industries such as agriculture, aviation, and health care.
“It changed my perspective on my future when we discussed postsecondary options,” said Addie Drinnon of Americus. “Before Youth LEAD Georgia, I did not consider the Navy as an option for my future. I was inspired to do more research, and now I am applying to the Naval Academy.”
Building Networks for Future Leaders
“This program provides an opportunity to overcome geographic barriers and socioeconomic differences.”
To design the program’s core concepts, UGA Fanning Institute faculty worked with Rodney Bullard, CEO of The Same House, and Georgia Business Leader Fred Hicks. Then Fanning Institute faculty took those ideas to develop programming and facilitate Youth LEAD Georgia.
Youth LEAD Georgia and an annual youth leadership summit at UGA launched in 2024 thanks to a $1.5 million pledge from Chick-fil-A.
Brent Fielder, senior director of corporate social responsibility for Chick-fil-A, says, “This program provides an opportunity to overcome geographic barriers and socioeconomic differences by creating a network of young leaders throughout Georgia and teaching them essential leadership skills — like integrity, conflict resolution, and strong communication — so they can positively influence their communities.”
“It has been amazing to learn more about myself, see new places, make new best friends, and build relationships with people that I will know for years to come.”
-Mary Burke Smith
Gifts from Bullard and The Same House, as well as Regions Bank, enable Youth LEAD Georgia students to take on service projects in their local communities, such as developing youth leadership efforts in Albany, providing computer literacy skills to area veterans in Swainsboro, and building handicap-accessible garden beds at a local senior center in Sandersville.
“Youth LEAD Georgia aligns with our mission at The Same House and is exactly the kind of program of collegiality and collaboration that we want to foster in tomorrow’s leaders and as a legacy to the state of Georgia,” Bullard says.
The Leadership Journey Continues
Students from the inaugural class say their experience from Youth LEAD Georgia isn’t over as they continue to work to make a difference in their communities and maintain the networks they’ve built.
“It has been amazing to learn more about myself, see new places, make new best friends, and build relationships with people that I will know for years to come,” said Mary Burke Smith of Rome.
Meanwhile, the journey for the second Youth LEAD Georgia class is just beginning. The next cohort, made up of 30 youth representing 29 counties, met for the first time in January at UGA.
