Athens, Ga. (February 21, 2006) – How can communities balance quality of life with economic development? How can schools raise educational achievement and reduce the drop out rate? Georgia college students interested in tackling questions like these are invited to apply to Georgia Rising, a leadership development program hosted by the Fanning Institute at the University of Georgia.

Participants must be enrolled in a four-year college program and be Georgia residents. The program consists of three primary sessions and self-directed learning activities between each session. Applications are due March 31, 2006.

Twenty-four students will be selected for the program. Participants will examine the good, the bad, and the ugly in their own communities. Then they will put Milledgeville, Ga., and Baldwin County under the microscope and discover the issues that the city faces and how the community is addressing them.

The program focuses on three elements of leadership development: students will broaden their knowledge about the state of Georgia; they will learn about the economic, political, and environmental issues facing Georgia communities; and they will develop skills to address these issues within Georgia communities.

For more information and an application visit www.fanning.uga.edu/programs/georgiarising or contact Kimberly Anderson at 706-583-0930 or at .

The Fanning Institute is a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia.

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Program Schedule:

Participants complete on-line orientation, issue background readings and activities, and pre-program assessments.

Session 1, May 23-26: Participants investigate community issues through the immersion into Milledgeville and Baldwin County.

Session 2, September 30 – October 2: Participants serve as peer leaders for the 1,000 member delegation of the Georgia Youth Summit sponsored by the Georgia General Assembly through the Georgia Rural Development Council.

Session 3, November 18-19: Participants present key community findings and establish benchmarks for future community involvement and personal growth.

Follow Up Assessments: Participants engage in a personal behavior assessment to measure continued levels of knowledge, awareness, and skills relative to the community issue areas.

This article was posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2006 at 11:09 am and is filed under Program News.