Council members will act as ambassadors, participate in leadership development program

Mentor Kansas is searching for five inspiring youth leaders to form a Young Leaders Council. Applications are being accepted now through March 18, 2022, at www.mentorkansas.org.

Applicants need to:

• Be either a Kansas junior or senior in high school or enrolled in a General Education Development (GED) program.
• Be 18 years of age or younger.
• Demonstrate a solid commitment to volunteerism and service.

The Mentor Kansas Young Leaders Council offers youth an opportunity to participate in a leadership development program while acting as ambassadors for Mentor Kansas.

The Council is being created to elevate youth voice and contribute to Mentor Kansas strategic initiatives, while also providing young people with a unique opportunity to move their ideas from conceptualization to implementation and reflection. Council members will receive an honorarium for their participation.

"Youth voice is critical and necessary to drive the work we do in our organization, and understanding the challenges facing them must come from young people themselves," said Paula Smith, director of Mentor Kansas.

Organizations and educators are invited to encourage youth of all backgrounds and abilities to apply. The Mentor Kansas Young Leaders Council membership will be announced on March 29, 2022.

For more information about the Mentor Kansas Young Leaders Council or Mentor Kansas, contact Smith at mentor@ksde.org or psmith@ksde.org.

The mission of Mentor Kansas is to promote safe and effective youth mentoring practices and inspire more Kansans to be mentors. Mentor Kansas is a program of the Kansas Volunteer Commission and the Kansas State Department of Education.

MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership is providing the initial funding for the Mentor Kansas Young Leaders Council.