Updates from The Chamber Foundation

At the November 7 session, the entire Youth Leadership cohort attended a workshop on Public Speaking and Effective Teamwork, led by Michael Esposito of Michael Esposito, INC. This year’s Youth Leadership students have impressed us with their level of engagement and participation since the program year’s beginning, and Michael stoked an important conversation with the students about how to show up most effectively in public speaking settings. Huge THANK YOU to Michael Esposito for his energetic presentation and insight!

The Track 1 students are beginning to sell stocks for their student-based company – stay tuned for the company name and product reveal next month! We encourage you to support the next generation of local leaders by helping to spread the word about the Youth Leadership company, and/or by purchasing shares of the student company at $10 each at the Chamber’s upcoming Business After Hours on December 13 at The Academy in Poughkeepsie. Thank you, in advance, for your support of these promising young local leaders!

The Track 2 students are getting ready for two major projects that will enrich the trajectory of their careers: preparing for Mock-Interview Night on January 9, and preparing to be placed in 20-hour practicums (i.e. job shadows) in which they will explore a career path of their choice with a local business. If you are interested in hosting a Youth Leadership student in your business, please reach out to lspangler@dcrcoc.org by Friday, 12/15. 

At Youth Leadership’s Annual Mock-Interview Night on January 9 at Dutchess Community College, the Track 2 students will undergo mock interviews with volunteer members of the local business community and will receive real-time feedback from these professionals on their interview performance. This event helps students develop valuable skills in college and career success. Are you interested in being a mock-interviewer for Interview Night on January 9? We are looking for passionate professionals from the local business community who can commit to volunteering on Tuesday, January 9 from 5:30-8pm at Dutchess Community College. If interested, please reach out to laura@chamberfdn.org by Friday, 12/15. Huge THANK YOU to Dutchess Community College for their support of Youth Leadership. 

Lastly, we are pleased to announce that Youth Leadership was awarded a grant from the Price Chopper Golub Foundation to fund the Track 1 Student-Based Company’s efforts as they produce customized products to sell on the xTool Laser Engraver. Throughout this project, the Track 1 students will gain a lucrative skill in using laser engraving technology, which they can continue as a source of enrichment and income long after they’ve graduated from Youth Leadership. This project will also allow the students to customize their own products to sell as part of the student-based company’s product sales.

Huge THANK YOU to Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation for supporting the Youth Leadership students.

The most recent Leadership Dutchess session took place on November 2 at the Brothers that Just Do Gutters Headquarters. Founder Ryan Parsons led the Leadership Dutchess class in a highly interactive “Managing for Success” session, giving the local leaders tangible takeaways for effective team management that they can use in their upcoming class fundraiser project (stay tuned). 

The 2024 class also learned about volunteer opportunities with Walkway Over the Hudson from Executive Director Lori Robertson. Huge thank you to Ryan Parsons and Lori Robertson for presenting on this important session, and to the Brothers that Just Do Gutters team for hosting us! 

Application Deadline December 1st

The Executive Leadership Program is a comprehensive, hands-on program dedicated to developing extraordinary leaders of the future. Each session is carefully crafted with a blend of lectures, panel discussions, peer to peer tabletop exercises and specific reading requirements that enable participants to apply concepts learned to real-life business challenges. Ideal candidates are mid to upper-level managers of both for profit and nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs, sole proprietors and small business owners, as well as key employees who are being developed by their employers for future senior leadership positions.

Watch the video below to learn more