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The flagship program in NCCEP’s Youth Services programming is the Youth Leadership Summit. In an effort to include student perspectives and the opinions of young people, NCCEP and Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. have created national opportunities for  youth to participate in the NCCEP/GEAR UP Annual Conference. More than 150 GEAR UP high school students have participated in the Youth Leadership Summit since the inception of the program in 2003. Booz Allen is the founding sponsor of the program, with GEAR UP for Excellence and other organizations throughout the years providing additional support.

Blending leadership development with the experience of participating in a professional conference, the Summit teaches participants how to be advocates for their schools and communities, empowering them to become the voice for their peers. Youth leaders, known as GEAR UP Scholars, work together to compile a Summit report focused on what educators should consider as they design strategies and programs for increasing student achievement.

The culmination of the Summit, and the highlight of the NCCEP/GEAR UP Annual Conference, is the presentation of the report to the conference attendees. For a half an hour, the Scholars are given the stage to voice their opinions and share their ideas. Conference attendees frequently comment that the Summit report brings a fresh and energized perspective that reminds them why they became engaged in the education arena.

Applications for the 2008 Youth Leadership Summit are now available . All GEAR UP students who will have completed the 10^th, 11^th, or 12^th grades by the conclusion of the 2007-2008 school year are encouraged to apply. For more information about the 2008 Summit and to download an application, please click here.

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For information about past Youth Leadership Summits, please see:

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