Greater Coachella Valley Chamber Future Leaders Program
The Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce has a proud tradition of supporting our local future leaders, including scholarship programs, information sessions, and fundraising support. The Chamber recently launched its latest effort aimed at assisting our youth in pursing their professional careers, the Coachella Valley Future Leaders Program. Working with Indio and Shadow Hills High we provide sophomore and junior high school student’s access to a variety of resources to help them with the education and professional choices ahead.
The main goal of the program is to help our future local college graduates understand the opportunities that exists right here in the Coachella Valley. The program helps explain our evolving local economy and encourages them to return from college and invest their education back into our community. Professionals from across the valley come each month to share the opportunities that exist in our desert in various professional fields. The students also have the chance to visit businesses, help out on local projects, and intern in fields that interest them.
The students participating in the program all have letters of recommendation from a teacher, are on track to attend college, and posses a desire to return and invest their education back into their community. That is the bedrock of the program, and its intent is for the students to maintain ties to the valley. After completion they stay involved as mentors and resources for those who follow, engaged through digital platforms designed to keep them connected long after they leave. Upon earning their degree, the Chamber will become a conduit to connect them with local business leaders in their field.
We launched the pilot program in 2014, with plans to add more high schools soon. The response was tremendous, with almost 50 students showing up for the pilot. We have great hope for this project and its ability to instill a sense of optimism and community among our youth. Would you like to get involved as a guest speaker, mentor, or offer intern opportunities? Contact the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce for more information.