The Georgia Department of Human Services is gearing up for the 2019 – 2020 cycle of the Youth Empowerment Series (YES) and would like to invite your students to participate!
The Youth Empowerment Series is a leadership development program that seeks to develop a generation of young people who are engaged in the needs of their communities. We work to recruit, equip, and educate to help DHS build “Stronger Families for a Stronger Georgia”.
Each student will participate in one City Cohort Meetup that consists of multiple interactive activities exposing participants to goal setting, public speaking, and developing a futuristic mindset. There will also be educational sessions about the Georgia Department of Human Services and its efforts to improve the lives of all Georgians.
YES 2019 – 2020 will recruit participants from all over the state to become a part of the five City Cohorts – Columbus, Athens, Valdosta, and Gainesville, and Atlanta. Each Meetup will consist of no more than 25 participants.
Meetups are meant to engage young people in fun activities and thought-provoking discussions that cover a myriad of topics such as senior hunger, socioeconomic inequality, and other issues affecting Georgia’s population. Meetups will be held from a Saturday morning, overnight until Sunday afternoon. All expenses are paid for by DHS, however students must obtain their own transportation to and from the venue. The application deadlines for each Cohort are listed below:
APPLICATION DEADLINES:
Columbus: September 20, 2019
Athens: September 27, 2019
Valdosta: October 11, 2019
Gainesville: December 13, 2019
Atlanta: January 31, 2020
All high school students (9th – 12th grade), in good behavioral and academic standing, are welcome to apply. Please encourage your students to apply!
Attached to this email is a copy of a fillable PDF. Make sure to tell students to SAVE their responses in the document, or print it out, fill it in, and scan it to yes@dhs.ga.gov . Each application must be submitted before the deadlines listed here, and on the last page of the application.
The application is also available on our website: https://dhs.georgia.gov/apply-yes .
Listed below are the city locations and tentative dates for all meetups. Each student is expected to attend the entirety of the meetup they attend to receive a certificate of completion.
MEETUP LOCATIONS AND DATES:
Columbus: November 9 - 10, 2019
Athens: November 16 – 17, 2019
Valdosta: December 7 – 8, 2019
Gainesville: February 1 – 2, 2020
Atlanta: March 21 – 22, 2020
Please feel free to contact Joshua Beaner (YES Coordinator) if you have any further questions. His information is listed below:
Joshua Beaner
DHS Fellow
Office of the Commissioner
Georgia Department of Human Services
2 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 29-250
Atlanta, GA 30303
404.463.0745 (O) | 404.895.9418 (M)