Summer Leadership Institutes - 21st Century Leaders

Experience an intensive week-long residential leadership program with 21st Century Leaders. 21CL offers three exclusive summer leadership institutes, expanding your leadership skills and exposing you to various businesses and industries throughout the state of Georgia. Each leadership institute will engage you through interactive workshops, corporate tours, round-tables with business leaders, and team-building exercises. Plus, you’ll have the time of your life while living on a college-campus, expanding your skills and meeting a diverse group of students from all across the state!
Start your leadership journey with one of our three Summer Leadership Institutes listed below:

SYLI

SYLI is a week-long dynamic and business-focused leadership development program at the Goizueta Business School on the campus of Emory University in which 21CL students learn essential leadership, business, and networking skills with professionals from some of the Georgia’s leading companies.

EarthCare

Earthcare: The Leadership Challenge for the 21^st Century is a week-long environment-focused leadership development program held on a college campus in which 21CL students are exposed to various environmental and leadership challenges through interactive workshops, tours, and round-table sessions with Georgia Power business leaders.

Youth Media Institute

Youth Media Institute is a week-long media-related program focused on leadership development in which 21CL students are exposed to the future of the media industry through interactive workshops, tours, round-table sessions, team-building and diversity exercises, and professional development opportunities.

Must be a rising sophomore, junior or senior in high school and live in the state of Georgia.
Application for 21st Century Leaders summer leadership institutes opens in January.
While completing the 21st Century Leaders application, you will select your summer experience through one of our summer leadership institutes.
All accepted students into a summer institute will be notified via email and mail. E-Mail is 21CL's primary form of communication. Please be sure to check your junk or spam folders.

Apply to 21CL Summer

All students must have a counselor, teacher, mentor or youth leader complete the recommendation form below as part of their 21CL application.

Recommendation Form

21CL Summer Flyer

Are you a current student and want to apply for a summer leadership institute? Login and click on the link below to access your application forms.

Current Student Application

21st Century Leaders is a great opportunity to meet many professionals from a variety of fields. You learn to network and market yourself to get you where you want to be career wise

Katie Garner, South Effingham H.S. Class of 2014

I would definitely recommend this program to other students. I have personally experienced other leadership programs and I would feel like I wasn't prepared for the leadership roles. This program (21CL) was different. It made me more aware of how things work in the business world and on how to communicate with professionals.

Eric Goins, Toombs County H.S. Class of 2015

This experience allowed me to meet new people and be open to others who are not like me. Because of this, I am able to say I’m a true leader

Brittani Floyd, Sandy Creek H.S. Class of 2015

The level of respect that every participant in the 21CL program is treated with between the coordinators, sponsors, and professionals is practically non-existent in any other organization. Because of my participation in 21CL, I can truly call myself a highly motivated individual.

Angela Jiang, GSMST Class of 2015

I learned that my personality may be different from others, and that my ideas aren't always the same as theirs but we can work together and be friends despite the differences we share.

Nataliegh Long, Murray County H.S. Class of 2017

Learning to network at 16 years old definitely impacted my future. Instead of just collecting business cards like my college friends did, I was building meaningful relationships. I got a full time, corporate job immediately after graduating from college, and even though I was young, I’m sure it was because of the confidence I gained by working with professionals early on.

Brandi Harrison, Turner Broadcasting System

I really enjoyed participating in the summer programs, which provided excellent opportunities to build business and teamwork skills and network with influential members of the Georgia business community as well as with other motivated high school students. I believe that the program provided a great foundation for my career in teaching me the value of networking and instilling in me the importance of being a team-oriented player in the workplace.

Ben Bryant, InComm

21st Century Leaders gave me the most unique and wonderful experiences that to this day I consider my favorite. 21st Century Leaders has been the catalyst for many of the endeavors I took on my junior and senior years in high school and all four years of college. I have great comfort knowing I have them as a support system, and I know they will continue to be there for me throughout the years

Maria Flores, Reinhardt University Class of 2015

The level of respect that every participant in the 21CL program is treated with between the coordinators, sponsors, and professionals is practically non-existent in any other organization. Although I am merely a high school student, the respect I am given empowers me and motivates me to pursue my professional goals and dreams. In 21CL, we are no simply teenagers - we truly are leaders of the future, on level with every adult, looked to for our input, and admire for our determination in advancing society.

Angela Jiang, GSMST Class of 2015