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Youth Leadership Institute

 

The Pearl Elegance Foundation, Inc., in collaboration with the Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® has successfully initiated three cohorts of youth leaders since the year 2022, holding one cohort annually. The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) is a crucial international service program within the sorority's Empower Our Families initiative. This dynamic and interactive leadership development program is tailored for youth aged 11 to 13.

 

2024 - 2025 Cohort

Monthly youth-led sessions were conducted; each meticulously designed to empower and enrich the leadership skills and capabilities of the participants. The session content is structured around three core concepts: the fundamentals of leadership and achievement; engaging in exploration, discovery, and self-expression; and harnessing the power of purpose to drive success.

In alignment with these concepts, the 2024-2025 cohort participated in a mock trial at the county courthouse with expert judges, embarked on a scavenger hunt at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, and contributed over 100 items to individuals experiencing homelessness, among many other activities.


2022 - 2023 Cohort

During this cohort, some of the YLI program themes included believing in the power of yourself, imagining the future and its possibilities, taking action in politics and societal issues, planting for the planet, exploring career options, and being the change we want to see.

Youth focused on the leadership qualities of self-awareness through the concept of a growth mindset, led activities that focused on goal setting as a critical social-emotional development skill that helps leadership development, participated in youth-led activities focusing on political, economic, and social conversations that help them become agents of positive change in their communities, and learned about the importance of planting native flowers, trees, and shrubs to maintain ecosystems within their communities from local environmentalists. 

Some activities that reinforced each theme included creating a T-shirt, solving a series of puzzles within a certain amount of time to accomplish a goal, participating in a Tree Planting project, putting together a fashion show focused on dressing for success, and participating in a soup donation drive to support the Bowie Interfaith Pantry and Emergency Fund.

Our Impact

  • Donated Food Items

    15,000

  • People Helped

    2,000

  • Volunteers

    500

  • Volunteer Hours

    14,000

© 2025 Pearl Elegance Foundation, Inc

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