By Carol Anders Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — What was only an idea a little over a year ago is now a reality.
Participants in the newly formed Youth Leadership Marshall County (YLMC) held its first meeting in September.
The eighth grade-based leadership development program is designed to reach young people who area school guidance counselors feel have high potential, but have not had access to ways to develop leadership skills.

The first meeting was held at the “ropes course” at Culver Academies.
The original idea was the brain-child of Randy Dickson, 4-H youth educator. Dickson shared his thoughts in the spring of 2008 with Jennifer Maddox of the Marshall County Community Foundation and United Way. With collaboration with others, the two were able to get the program off and running.
“Many young people ex-hibit leadership abilities, but never get the chance to fully realize them,” Mad-dox said. “We are trying to enlarge the leadership pool.”
The program is modeled after Marshall County Leadership Academy — where adult volunteers attend sessions over a period of several months.
YLMC will hold nine meetings at various locations throughout the county.
Topics will include personal assessment, teambuilding, local governance, parliamentary procedure, county history, entrepreneurship and community service.
Maddox said, “By eliminating participation fess to providing transportation, the YLMC planning committee hope to provide the assistance necessary to allow all selected students an equal chance to freely participate.”
Maddox said one of the goals is for the participants in the first year class to become mentors to other students in the future.
For more information, call 574-935-5159.