Youth Leadership Dawson graduates first class
By Melissa Mayton, Dawson County Chamber
Membership Director
Future leaders of Dawson County recently graduated from a
nine-month program hosted by the Dawson County Chamber
of Commerce and Dawson County Board of Education.
Youth Leadership Dawson Class of 2017 led 18 sophomores
and juniors from Dawson County High School through a va-
riety of leadership skills training as well as visiting portions of
the community not seen every day. The students also learned
about industries and careers available to them in Dawson
County.
The Youth Leadership Dawson program was launched as a
class project of the Leadership Dawson Class of 2016. “Youth
Leadership Dawson was a joint venture between the Dawson
County School District and the Dawson County Chamber of
Commerce that focused on providing students with a wide
array of leadership experiences,” Dawson County School Su-
perintendent and Leadership Dawson 2016 class member Dr.
Damon Gibbs said. Students were nominated for the program
by their teachers and then interviewed and selected by a panel
of business and community leaders. Each session was led by
different members of the Leadership Dawson Class who
were trained by the JW Fanning Institute through the
University of Georgia.
The Youth Leadership students got to see local and state gov-
ernment in action as well as learn about manufacturing, bank-
ing and medical industries in Dawson County. The students
also enjoyed a fine-dining meal at Amicalola Falls Lodge
where they were taught proper dining etiquette. The students
also had team building and leadership exercises to complete
in each session.
The students were recognized at the May Board of Education
meeting as the first graduating class. “We are very proud
of our inaugural class,” Gibbs said. “We look forward to seeing
many more students grow from this opportunity in
the future.”
Youth Leadership Dawson Class of 2016-2017:
Levi Baggett, Alexis Bagley, Kati Brady, Emma Brown, Abi Chatham,