Chamber’s Youth Academy is underway

VW independent staff/submitted information

The Van Wert Chamber of Commerce held its inaugural Youth Academy session at Central Insurance on Tuesday. The pilot program will be presented through April, with each session taking place on the last Tuesday of each month at a different location within Van Wert County.

“We have presented an adult leadership program for over 30 years, so we have a good feel for what community businesses want their employees to Experience,” Chamber President/CEO Mark Verville said. “As we headed into 2023 one of our organizational goals was to engage students from our county schools in a similar program. We connected with the administration of Van Wert City Schools, Lincolnview Local Schools, Crestview Local Schools, and Vantage Career Center to begin to structure a program they felt was valuable.”

The 24 students selected are in their junior school year and have been chosen because of their leadership skills and potential. They will connect with business leaders to increase their knowledge learn more about the community.

Verville announced that Northwest State Community College is the exclusive sponsor of the Youth Academy program. The regional community college based in Archbold is a public two-year college that is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. This accreditation allows the college to offer degree and certificate programs in the fields of arts and sciences; business and public services, nursing and allied health, and STEM and industrial technologies.

NSCC serves over 77,000 northwest Ohio families across a six-county service area, including Van Wert County. A satellite campus is scheduled to open in Van Wert this fall.