Okeechobee Junior Leaders 2024 Concludes

07/29/2024

Thank you to all of our community stakeholders, administration, local business owners, parents, and STUDENTS who made Okeechobee Junior Leaders 2024 a huge success!
Because of our community's generosity, 60 students completed the program in June.

"What Does Summer Camp Have To Do With Economic Development?"

THE PURPOSE OF THE OJL PROGRAM

This initiative is a directive straight out of the Policom Economic Development Study, a strategic Plan that was conducted for the community of Okeechobee in 2018.
This study directly states "introduce soft skills and leadership initiatives into our (future) workforce as early as possible."
Soft skills training continues to be a workforce development trend of great importance to our businesses here in Okeechobee. The Corporation is passionate about expanding these opportunities for children, and adults, of all ages so we can continue to support the talent pipeline.

Throughout the Okeechobee Junior Leaders program, our students got to visit local businesses and organizations that are vital to Okeechobee’s economy, safety, and well-being. Our leaders toured Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, Okeechobee County Fire Rescue, the Okeechobee Historic Courthouse, Okeechobee Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller, Walpole Inc., Downtown Okeechobee and Park Street, City Hall of Okeechobee, Okeechobee Livestock Market, and many more! to gain insight into the careers that are available in their own hometown. By visiting these entities in a tour, our students were able to see various employment opportunities, diverse roles, and leadership styles that are available in the workplace right here in their hometown.

During each visit, our students got to see skills such as industriousness, teamwork, planning, resilience, and communication in action. No matter what career field our junior leaders decide to pursue, the soft skills honed in our Okeechobee Junior Leaders program will prepare them for success!

Thank you to all of the local businesses and organizations that educated and encouraged Okeechobee’s future leaders.

Brand New to Year Four- This year we unveiled our newest elevated experience for our students: Special Speaker Day. This "conference style" presentation format gave our students the opportunity to hear from leaders in the workplace from diverse sections of industry, hosted by our very own IRSC Dixon Hendry Campus.

From aviation, to hospitality, to robotics, the junior leaders gained a behind-the-scenes perspective of over a dozen different career fields! In addition to sharing their professional journeys, speakers also encouraged our students with stories of overcoming personal challenges and adversities. The junior leaders heard about the importance of having an attitude of excellence as they embark on their career path.

Our speakers did not only inspire our junior leaders to think about the future – campers learned transferable skills such as resume building and financial literacy that can help them as they begin to take the first steps of their career now.

Thank you to all of our engaging, insightful speakers for pouring into our next generation’s workforce!

Click on the image above to watch a short video of Florida Power and Light's special guest "Spot the Robot" visiting our students.

After working alongside local professionals to discover industries that sparked their interest, our junior leaders created their own organizations for their student impact report.

The junior leaders developed and presented business plans for their organizations that included components such as funding, location, and purpose. From electric scooter rentals to cooking classes, our junior leaders discussed how their idea would be a meaningful addition to our community and reflected on thought-provoking feedback from community leaders.

Thank you to Alexandra Navarette for presenting our new "Outstanding Leader" awards, in honor of her beautiful children who left a lasting mark on this program.

After completing Okeechobee Junior Leaders Camp, the leaders were presented with their stipends and certificates of completion. Thank you to Children's Service Council of Okeechobee for providing the $24,000 for our student stipends. This is an amazing tool used to model hard work paying off, and teaching ownership in a paycheck.

We are so proud of the hard work and dedication of our junior leaders and cannot wait to see their impact on our community!

For Press Inquiries | Please see our contact information below

If you would like copies of the professional photos taken from your business/organization tour or your special speaking segment.

www.ocedcorp.com
863-357-2334

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