Regional Youth Leadership

Modeled after Leadership Northern Kentucky, Regional Youth Leadership (RYL) is a community leadership development program for high school juniors in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The 7-month program is a series of sessions held monthly during the school day from September through March focusing on different topics that inform and strengthen student awareness of the opportunities that exist in our region.

Ideal participants: ​

Applications are open to high school sophomores representing public, private, and home schools in Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky who maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0. Applicants should have an interest in expanding their knowledge of our region, developing the skills needed to become future leaders, and the maturity to interact with established leaders making a difference in our community.

How students benefit:

• Opportunity to network with students, organizations, and business and community leaders from across the region;
• Learn about our region in a unique and experiential manner that results in a newfound appreciation for what makes our region unique;
• Career exploration;

Schools benefit from RYL by:

• Providing students with a deeper connection to their community;
• Complementing academic classroom learning through experiential programming aimed at retaining talent in our region;
• Delivering soft-skills training and helping students to develop the skills necessary for the workforce;

Tuition and enrollment:

The tuition cost for RYL participants is $250. Tuition is non-refundable and is payable after acceptance notification. Tuition includes all expenses for the retreat, materials, and refreshments for class sessions and graduation.

Scholarships are an important part of the RYL program. If the cost of tuition is a concern, please do not hesitate to ask for a scholarship. Students may request a full or partial scholarship on their application, or a parent may request a scholarship on behalf of their child. This is a confidential process. No one accepted into the program will be denied participation for financial reasons.

Applications open yearly from December 1^st to February 1^st for rising high school juniors. One student from each school that applies will be selected to participate during their junior year. If space permits, additional applicants may be considered.