by Natalie Bradley, Flint Energies Community Connections Specialist and Blair Brown, Flint Energies Cooperative Communications Specialist
Empower. When you ponder that word, what comes to mind? Possibility, purpose, confidence, courage; all words that instill a feeling of strength to make a change in yourself or something you’re passionate about.
This year, Flint’s theme, Powering Today, Empowering Tomorrow is a great example of how we are carrying out our mission to exceed the expectations of our members at every opportunity. We see the potential and embrace the possibility of revitalizing our communities for a brighter tomorrow.
The Cooperative Communications Department has revamped our youth leadership programs to create EMPOWER, a new rural regional Youth Leadership program. One of the first of its kind in Georgia, the EMPOWER program will bring together high school juniors from Crawford, Macon, Marion, Schley, Talbot and Taylor counties for nine months of learning about leadership, professionalism, service, and community development.
“Prior to working at Flint Energies, I was the Region 8 Representative for the Department of Community Affairs,” says Flint Energies Community Connections Specialist, Natalie Bradley. “In that position, it became clear that a regionalism approach is not only important, but vital for success particularly in rural Georgia. The new regional program mirrors the state’s work in economic and community development, while also providing resources that many of our rural county chambers and school systems lack.” For our communities to see true success for generations to come, we must help mold young leaders by instilling traits of leadership, professional development, civic responsibility and pride of living in a rural area. Investing in today, we empower our youth to become productive leaders and conscientious citizens for the future.
Throughout nine months of immersive leadership-building experiences, students will participate in team-building activities, learn job readiness and valuable soft skills to be prepared for life after high school. They’ll tour regional industries and downtowns to learn more about economic development and opportunities for their future in rural Georgia. Near the conclusion of the program, the group will take a trip to Georgia’s capitol to watch government at work and meet their state representatives. We're excited to share more about these students throughout the school year!
