Summer Business Competition Winners Honored at Rooftop Reception in Downtown Washington
October 20, 2017 –
On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, students of the Youth Leadership Foundation were honored at the JAMS mediation firm rooftop reception in Washington DC. Sophomores, Victoria Ohanele, Paris Brown, Casey Thompson, and Niani Benjamin are the inaugural winners of the YLF summer business plan competition.
Casey Thompson ( far left) with Niani Benjamin ( second from left) Attorney General Karl A. Racine (middle) Victoria Ohanele (second from right) and Paris Brown (far right) at the JAMS mediation firm reception.
The young women had the opportunity to meet and talk with a few law figures in the District and present a synopsis of their winning business plan. Attorney General Karl Racine of the District of Columbia congratulated the students on their work and extended an invitation for the winners to come and present their plan for a “New Approach” to education. Their “New Approach” consists of an individualized educational atmosphere that draws on a number of child-centered and group-learning teaching methods. As they described, "We value creative teaching methods in schools. We want to help high school students become interested in learning and create a better understanding."
The summer business plan competition is just one element of the Youth Leadership Foundation’s Spirit of Service Challenge. 2017 marked the inaugural year of the Spirit of Service Challenge, a year-long commitment to becoming a better leader through: (1) a competitive summer experience in which students think like social entrepreneurs, (2) school year leadership retreats, where students are immersed in reflection about the habits that will open horizons, and (3) volunteerism. The Spirit of Service Challenge also cultivates scholarship opportunities for participating students.
About Youth Leadership Foundation: This year marks YLF’s 20th Anniversary. Since its inception, YLF has built the character of over 3,000 students and has seen 97% of them graduate from high school throughout the Nation’s Capital. Last year, YLF’s character-building programs served 348 youths in all wards of District of Columbia and Prince George’s County through 60 mentors. As a result of their participation with YLF, 92% of YLF students developed greater self-confidence; 83% reported positive changes in study and work habits; and 86% became more goal-oriented.
About JAMS: JAMS is the largest private alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider in the world. With its prestigious panel of neutrals, JAMS specializes in mediating and arbitrating complex, multi-party, business/commercial cases – those in which the choice of neutral is crucial. JAMS panelists resolve multi-party, complex cases in virtually all areas of the law. JAMS handles an average of 13,000 cases per year in hearing locations throughout the world. To learn more about the company visit, https://www.jamsadr.com .
MEDIA CONTACT For YLF:
Robert DeSimone
Rdesimone@helpingkids.org
(202) 365-3511
