Dr. S. Eugene Younts, who accompanied a group of Elbert County Comprehensive High School YLIA students and teacher Susan Fricks to the state capitol last year, said the project was an investment in the state. Class size ranges from six to 22 students, with an average size of 16. Students are nominated by teachers, principals, and counselors to participate. Students study their values, prejudices, expectations, and motivation. Personal decision-making, prioritizing and goal setting Group and team processes.
Students learn about the benefits of group work, building group trust, and conflict resolution.
Students gather information, identify needs and issues which affect them, and organize a community project. A major activity in which they participated was a mentoring program at several elementary schools. Once every two weeks they would visit the schools to talk to and spend time with the children. The students really enjoyed having the youngsters looking up to them. The YLIA students want these middle-schoolers, to realize their freshman year is of great importance so they reach their senior year without regrets about academic mistakes they made in the first, pivotal year of high school.