Photo courtesy of Iowa DD Council

This summer, 13 students from across the State attended and graduated from the Youth Leadership Academy program from the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council. Among those graduates was Sariah Stutzman of Wellman. 

Stutzman, along with her peers completed the annual training, which allows students ages 14-21 to develop valuable leadership skills like goal setting, self-determination, civic engagement, networking, and mentoring. Over the course of 10 hours, the goal of the program is to allow participants to gain skills that can be used the rest of their lives. 

The Youth Leadership Academy is sponsored by Access 2 Independence, ASK Resource Center, the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council, and Iowa’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. For more information about the Academy, or the Developmental Disabilities Council, visit iowaddcouncil.org.