Oklahoma Youth Leadership Forum Accepting Applications

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A select group of 25 high school teenagers will be chosen to attend the 9th annual Youth Leadership Forum (YLF), June 12 – 16, 2012, at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha, Okla. Applications are accepted year-round. This year’s annual Intent to Apply (part one of the application process) is due Feb. 1, 2012, and the official application (part two) is due March 9, 2012.

To be eligible, a student must be an Oklahoma resident returning to high school for the next school year as a junior or senior, have a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and have demonstrated leadership potential in their school and community.

Examples of a developmental disability include varying degrees of autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities. An estimated 1.8 percent of Oklahoma’s population, or about 65,000 state residents, have developmental disabilities.

The week-long camp, sponsored by the Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council (ODDC), is a unique leadership training program with the goal of helping prepare the students for life after high school.

Internationally known speakers and authors are featured throughout the week, and the students spend a day at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. There, they meet their own legislators, and organize and execute a mock legislative session. Every year, a select group of YLF graduates are invited to return as mentors for their peers the following year.

All eligible students and potential staff members are encouraged to apply. More information and the application forms are available on the Youth Leadership Forum page of the ODDC website at http://www.okddc.ok.gov.  (link opens in new window). Forms are also available by calling ODDC at (405) 521-4984 or (800) 836-4470.

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