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Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County invites all area high school students to apply for the fall sessions of the STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Leadership Training and Perlman Price Young Entrepreneurs (PYE) programs. Participants in the programs will gain critical leadership skills while developing their employability, building their resume and engaging with their community, local business leaders and government officials. STAR Leadership Training, which was recently awarded the 2018 Core Service Program Award in Character & Leadership Development by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Florida Area Council, was adopted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County in August 2016 from the former operative agency Community Youth Development. The program is offered three times a year, and provides high-school aged teens with 65 hours of comprehensive leadership instruction that focuses on active citizenship, civic engagement, government and philanthropy. The training includes team-building and problem-solving sessions with professional guest speakers, field trip days with County Commissioners and the Sarasota County School Board, tours of the 911 Center and Sarasota County Jail and designing and implementing a community service project. “STAR Leadership Training intends to connect youth to local opportunities while giving them a voice to make a difference in their community, find ways to contribute their talent to a greater good and inspire to be life-long agents of social change,” said Suriya Khong, Director of Teen Outreach at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County. At the completion of the STAR Leadership Training program, teens will receive high school credit and serve as full-voting members of county or city advisory boards, on board of directors for local non-profit organizations, or on community-wide committees focused on social issues. The program made Florida just one of four states that allows young people to serve their communities in this manner. Currently, 83 community board partners allow a program graduate to sit as an active member on their board. Students are matched with a board position based on their personal career goals or interests in a nonprofit’s mission. While participants will have real, measurable impact on issues, programs and services throughout the community as active board members, they will also earn required community service hours for school. High school students are invited to apply for the fall session of the STAR Leadership Training program online at bgcsarasota.com/teen-programs. For more information, call 941-366-3911. Space is limited. The PYE Program provides high-school students with 65 hours of entrepreneurial education to develop critical thinking, leadership and financial literacy skills through practical business exposure and mentorships with local leaders in the entrepreneurial field. Through the course of the program, participants will create their own business model, develop a written and visual business plan, network with industry leaders in the community, build their resume and pitch their business plan to local investors in the hopes of securing start-up funding. “PYE offers teens the chance to be their own boss through the development of a business venture. Teens will conduct market research to collect, organize and interpret data on potential customers and competitors and learn what it actually takes to run a successful business,” said Caroline Windom, Entrepreneurial Programs Specialist at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County. “By the end of the program, participants will be paired with a professional mentor who can help them in their fields of interest.” High school students are invited to apply for the fall session of the PYE program online at bgcsarasota.com/teen-programs. For more information, call 941-366-3911. Space is limited. ABOUT THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SARASOTA COUNTY: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County have played an integral role in the Sarasota County community for more than 48 years, providing daily programs and services to 7,000 youth, ages 6 to 18, each year. The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. The vision is to provide a world-class Club experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who walks through our doors, with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle. For more information, visit www.bgcsarasota.com.