Youth Leadership: Celebrating Community Impact!

At Sophia, we believe that leadership has the transformative power to create positive change in the world! 

One of the ways we do that is through our program, Youth Leadership Fond du Lac (YLF).

On May 8, 2023, Sophia Transformative Leadership Partners hosted the year-end celebration event for Youth Leadership at the Lakeside Park Pavilion in Fond du Lac.

Parents, high school liaisons, program sponsors & community leaders were invited to celebrate the completion of this year’s program, their growth and the impact the students made in our community.

Leadership Lessons

Featured Speaker: Kelly Norton

To showcase leadership in the community, Kelly Norton, Senior Director of Enterprise Culture and Communication at Grande Cheese, shared her story and leadership lessons with students and guests:

• Be the best part of someone’s day today.
• Leadership starts with you – the first thing we can do in our journey to becoming a wonderful leader, is to work on leading ourselves.
• Never forget where you came from…and perhaps come back to it one day!

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'”

It’s clear Kelly answers that question everyday by humbly serving with a genuine commitment to create the best Greater Fond du Lac area possible for all its citizens!

The Potential of our Youth Leaders

About Youth Leadership Fond du Lac:

Youth Leadership Fond du Lac was founded in 2006 as a project of the adult Leadership Fond du Lac program under the facilitation of Envision Greater Fond du Lac.

Since then, more than 250 students have participated in YLF!

Since 2021, Sophia has been the program facilitator and countless students, nonprofits, businesses and organizations in our community have come together for one sole purpose:

Improve & Impact Our Community

To guide the content of YLF, Sophia adopted 5 pillars:

• Servant Leadership
• Career Opportunities
• Celebrate Community
• Well-being
• Community Engagement

During this 8-month long program, 16 juniors selected from nine Fond du Lac county high schools engaged in their own personal leadership journeys while learning about & celebrating the community we live in. 

Over time, a specific theme emerged, “Love where you live,” which the students incorporated into their 2023 cohort’s name: Sophia Sweethearts.

To hear from our Sophia Sweethearts, watch this YouTube video! https://youtu.be/chx90XlB1sA

Community Project – Comfort Bags

One of the facets of YLF is to plan, create & execute a community service project. This year, the Sophia Sweethearts organized “Comfort Bags” which included: blankets, books, stuffed animals & other items for children and youth who are in need in our community.

Following the event, a total of 54 bags were distributed to representatives from the following community organizations:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters
• St. Katharine Drexel Shelter
• Fond du Lac Police Dept – National Night Out
• Community Works

Foster Youth Leadership Development

YLF is provided at no cost to the students or schools. We rely on grants, donations and sponsors as primary funding sources for this community program. The cost per student is $1,000.

If you would like to contribute to next year’s program or sponsor a student, donate here!

Thank you to this year’s sponsors: