- February 8, 2025
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A group of 15 local high school students is taking part in the newly-formed Youth Civic Leadership Experience program, learning about city and county government, economic development, law enforcement, public safety, the environment, culture and history.
The five-day, 35-hour career- and civics-oriented program began on Monday, June 5, and is presented by the Port Orange South Daytona Chamber of Commerce and co-sponsored by the Volusia Flagler Family YMCA.
The students are upcoming sophomores and juniors at Spruce Creek High School, Atlantic High School and Warner Christian Academy.
A group of community members formed the program to promote civic commitment and community involvement among youth in the area.
Basilia Brown, vice president at the Port Orange VyStar Credit Union, said the idea came after she and several other people participated in the Leadership Port Orange program.
“We decided to create a leadership experience because there was nothing here in the community like that,” Brown said. “We decided it was one way to give back to the community.”
Kristin Johansson, the program's coordinator, said the organizers came up with the idea for the program last November and had their first brainstorming meeting in January.
Johansson had been involved in similar leadership programs in the past and began working with other organizers to create a shorter, youth-targeted version of Leadership Port Orange.
“A lot of the same things that we had gone and seen and done are perfectly applicable to the youth in our community,” Johansson said. “So somebody mentioned it, and we started brainstorming, and we decided to run with it.”
Johansson said the organizers will see if the people on this year’s steering committee will want to volunteer for next year. She also plans to meet with the next Leadership Port Orange group to give those individuals a chance to participate as well.
The Youth Civic Leadership Experience organizers expect to keep the program to around 15 students, and to also include students from the Daytona area, she said.
“I’d like to make sure that we include South Daytona a little bit, so we can compare and contrast the two cities and how they operate,” Johansson said.
