National Young Leaders State Conference

[ag4gt]

Has anyone ever heard of the “National Young Leaders State Conference”? My daughter got a VERY slick and impressive package from this outfit yesterday. It says she has “been selected” to attend this “wonderful opportunity” in Atlanta for 4 days. The letter also names one of her teachers and says he “nominated” her. The web site indicates that the organization is not associated with any governmental body but the letter head is adorned with a capital dome and the words “Congressional Youth”.
This sort of strikes me like “The Star Registry” where for only $59.95 they will name a star after someone and it will be recorded in book form in the Library of Congress (they don’t tell you that any book that is published is required by law to be recorded in the Library of Congress).
Oh yes, this outfit only wants $1300 for this privilege.
Any comment would be appreciated.

 

[sgeeeee]

I've never heard of it, but they have an extensive web site. Here are some selected excerpts:

http://www.cylc.org/nylc/

All students are provided with written materials designed to foster self-directed experiential learning. The program's curriculum was developed under the direction of Dr. Donna Snyder, a former classroom teacher, elementary school principal and university professor. She earned a masters degree in school administration and curriculum development and holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction. With Dr. Snyder's guidance, the curriculum offers a unique approach to leadership training.

About CYLC
Congressional Youth Leadership Council (CYLC) program scholars represent the upper echelon of today's youth in both academic performance and community leadership. Each student is hand-selected for nomination by distinguished educators, mentors or CYLC program alumni, ensuring that every participant possesses the drive and determination to emerge as a future& world leader.

Our mission is to foster and inspire young people to achieve their full leadership potential. In support of this mission, over 400 members of the U.S. Congress and over 50 embassies representing countries around the world serve on the CYLC's Honorary Boards [PDF 106K].

A five-person Board of Directors with extensive backgrounds in business, economics, media and government relations establishes the policies and overall direction of the organization.

Now in its 20th year, CYLC is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization and is located in Washington D.C.


Tuition & Financial Assistance
Tuition for the 10-day National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) is $2,185. The 6-day conference tuition is $1,295. Tuition includes all housing, program materials, breakfasts and dinners. Transportation to and from the conference location is not included. Participants will need money only for lunches and incidentals (phone calls, snacks, etc.).

Fundraising
The Congressional Youth Leadership Council (CYLC) makes every effort to assist students with gathering funds for part or all of their tuition through fundraising and scholarships.

If you require financial assistance, CYLC has prepared a special fundraising guide [PDF, 178K] to help you raise the necessary funds within your community. In addition, the Office of Admissions is available to support you in your fundraising efforts.

Need a great idea for fundraising? Read the success stories of scholars who raised full or partial tuition to attend their program.

For more information regarding fundraising, you may send an e-mail to nylc_adm@cylc.org.

Scholarship Application
To offset the cost of tuition, CYLC has established a scholarship fund to assist youth who wish to participate in the program. Because scholarship funds are limited and demand is extremely high, several factors are considered in the allotment of awards including financial need, academic merit and student involvement in extracurricular and volunteer activities. Last fall, NYLC scholarship recipients had an average household income of approximately $18,000, maintained a 3.8 GPA and held significant leadership positions within their high schools and communities.

 

[Nords]

Has anyone ever heard of the “National Young Leaders State Conference”?  My daughter got a VERY slick and impressive package from this outfit yesterday.  It says she has “been selected” to attend this “wonderful opportunity” in Atlanta for 4 days.  The letter also names one of her teachers and says he “nominated” her.

Talk to the teachers. They know where the good deals are. If the school isn't sponsoring a teacher-led trip then it's probably not worth the effort. There may be good deals out there that don't involve teachers, but they have overwhelming competition from the school-sponsored events.

Our 7th-grade kid went to "Washington Workshop" last February. We would have paid the $1100 fee (+ $750 airfare) just for a week to ourselves, and the fact that she'd experience snow & freezing weather without us was a happy bonus. (After all, we're only looking out for our kid's best interests.) WW has been doing this gig 20-30 times a year for a couple decades so they're able to get into all the tourist places and get speakers who the kids will listen to. The WW staff ran the kids ragged (even a day at Gettysburg) and she came home full of information that still stops dinner conversation at the most unexpected moments. (Now she wants to be an American historian like Nicholas Cage in "National Treasure".)

A similar experience is Space Camp (they're in several locations). She wants to be the first veterinarian in space (right after she finishes her history thesis).

The best trips are the ones sponsored by the school and accompanied by the teachers. At WW, Space Camp, and DisneyWorld's "Young Explorers Science" programs the teachers were only chaperones and weren't responsible for teaching the curriculum, only for getting the kids where they needed to be. (Although they handed out lots of extra work!) The fact that you get to practice being an empty-nester is, I'm almost sure, a tax-deductible investment expense. (Just kidding!)

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

If you ever hear the words "brain slug" used, run.