ATLANTA, March 17, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Young Professional Leaders (YPL) will host its fourth-annual Junior Leadership Conference with an emphasis this year on Social Entrepreneurship on March 21st at Georgia Power Company headquarters on 241 Ralph McGill Blvd. NE, Atlanta GA 30308. This is the second year Georgia Power has served as the conference venue with opening remarks provided by Henry Kelly, Georgia Power Executive.
The conference matches young professionals with high school students for cooperative learning in the areas of college and career preparedness, financial literacy and service learning. Last year’s Junior Leadership Conference hosted just under 100 students. The conference provides an experiential learning opportunity for at risk high school students in an alternative, conference setting. Each student will be paired with a mentor to guide them and serve as a resource throughout the day.
This year’s JLC will focus on three key areas under the Social Entrepreneurship theme – Financial Skills, Management & Social Innovation. Jay Bailey, CEO, for the Southeastern Region of Operation Hope will facilitate a financial literacy workshop. Non-Profit Co-Founders of Raising Expectations, Maria Armstrong and Tangee Allen will lead a session highlighting management skills. The third workshop will feature winners of the United Way of Greater Atlanta Spark Competition for Social Innovation and will be facilitated by YPL Board Co-Chair PJ Zonsius and YPL Board Member Chris Sizemore. In addition, there will be a college and career fair featuring 12 colleges and trade schools to help the students leave the conference with concrete next steps to continue the progress of college and career preparedness.
The half-day event begins with registration at 8:00 a.m. Meals will be provided by Chick-fil-A for all attendees and Gas South will provide customized back-packs for each student filled with supplies. To register to participate as a mentor, click here.
About Young Professional Leaders
Young Professional Leaders (YPL) is a dedicated group of young professionals affiliated with United Way of Greater Atlanta working to promote thriving communities through giving and volunteer service. YPL members are compassionate and committed individuals on a mission to encourage the spirit of philanthropy and volunteerism amongst their peers to create a vibrant region in which to live, learn, work and prosper for all Atlantans.
About United Way of Greater Atlanta
Our United Way is the second largest in the nation with more than $80 million in fundraising. We invest in more than 140 programs in 13 counties through the Community Impact Fund and participate in Collaborative Networks with caring community partners to address challenges in education, income, health and homelessness. To donate, volunteer or advocate, dial 2-1-1 or visit unitedwayatlanta.org.