This grant provides funding to the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) to support a seventh year of funding for the Golden LEAF Scholars Leadership Program. The goal of the program is to develop leadership capacity of students from rural North Carolina and expose them to career opportunities in rural counties in an effort to encourage those students to pursue careers in rural North Carolina. This year, CCL will recruit 120 freshmen scholars and expects to retain 120 freshmen, 85 sophomores, 69 juniors and 66 seniors for the 2017-2018 program year. All participants attend a two-day conference in January during which they receive training in leadership and a variety of subjects, including challenges and opportunities facing rural North Carolina communities. Freshmen and sophomores also receive individualized coaching for eight months of the year, and juniors receive online coaching. During the summer, students in their freshman, sophomore, and junior years secure and complete an internship in a rural, economically distressed community paid for with Golden LEAF grant funds. In September, students attend a two-day conference at which they receive additional leadership training to build on what they learned during their summer experiences. Nearly half of the grant funds are used to pay student internship stipends.
