Tavis Smiley Foundation's Official Web Site The mission of the Tavis Smiley Foundation is to enlighten, encourage and empower youth by providing leadership training that will promote the quality of life for themselves, their communities and our world. Since its inception more than 6,000 youth ages 13 to 18 have participated in the foundations leadership training workshops and conferences. Many teens in the program have entered and completed college, organized health fairs and voter registration drivers, conducted teen town hall meetings, started businesses and interned with city mayors and presidential candidates. REGISTRATION OPEN FOR 2009 LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE! Applications for student delegates to the 2009 Leadership Institute: Find Your Voice ~ Create Your Imprint, are now being accepted. Spend five of the most powerful days of your life with some of the nation's brightest young minds for thought-provoking conversations, community service, youth advocacy, uplifting speakers and networking. This is a youth-led conference with sessions geared toward and designed by youth ages 13-18. The Institute will take place August 7-11 on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles. The fee is $500 and includes dormitory housing, workshops, and meals. All fees for selected students are due July 11. ALL applications must be completed online. Delegates will be selected based on the application, an essay, letter of recommendation and school and community activities. We are seeking a wide range of young leaders. Last year delegates represented 28 states. READY TO APPLY? You can click here to access the online application: www.etouches.com/2009LeadershipInstitute. You will leave www.youthtoleaders.org DOWNLOAD & SHARE THE FLYER - CLICK HERE! For more information regarding FAQs, the schedule, chaperone application, volunteer opportunities, and our fundraising guide click here. YOUNG LEADERS OF THE DECADE LEADERSHIP SERVICE AWARD The Tavis Smiley Foundation’s Youth to Leaders program is pleased to announce the Smiley 100 Young Leaders of the Decade leadership service award. Since its inception the Youth to Leaders program has worked to identify and train the next generation of leaders. Each year the program honors those leaders who have demonstrated stellar achievement in leadership and service. In recognition of the its 10th anniversary, the Tavis Smiley Foundation would like to honor 100 hometown young leaders from Southern California who exemplify and embody the spirit of our mission to enlighten, encourage and empower. Read the Nomination Guidelines CLICK HERE! Ready to Nominate a Young Leader? You can click here to access the online application: www.etouches.com/Smiley100. You will leave www.youthtoleaders.org. DOWNLOAD & SHARE THE FLYER - CLICK HERE! ALUMNI IN ACTION UPDATE Aneka Billings Wins State Award Aneka Billings, a member of the TSF National Youth Advisory Council, has been named the Youth of the Year for Mississippi by Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). She received this honor recently at the Mississippi Area Council in Jackson. In addition to winning this title, Billings also will receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Reader’s Digest Foundation. Get the full story... click here. MEET A LEADER William Ford-Conway Institute alum and aspiring filmmaker wins contest William Ford-Conway, a delegate to the 2008 Tavis Smiley Foundation’s Leadership Institute, was selected as the first prize winner in the Sound Off Film Festival sponsored by Montgomery County Community College’s Communicating Arts Production Group. William, 17, of Wyncote, PA, was the only high school student to enter the competition. The filmmakers were challenged to create a three-minute video in five days using only the silent film clips provided. The videos had to present a coherent story, supported by appropriate sound effects. Click here for the rest of the story. If you are an alum or a teen who is an outstanding leader, you can be featured in section too. Drop us a line and tell us how you're changing the world. Send to y2l@tavistalks.com. Put Meet a Leader in the subject line. SCHOLARSHIPS Resource: Helpful links about available scholarships Click here for more information. UPCOMING PROGRAM DATES August 7-11 Tavis Smiley Foundation Leadership Institute - UCLA. Registration is now open. Click here to apply for the Institute: www.etouches.com/ 2009LeadershipInstitute. If you want to be added to our email list, please send a request to Y2L@tavistalks.com. October 3 9th Annual Salute to Youth Leadership Benefit – Los Angeles. NATIONAL YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL NEWS Meet the 13 members of the National Youth Advisory Council who are ready to change to change the world! Click here.	2008 LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE @ UCLA More than 220 youth representing 28 states participated in the 2008 Leadership Institute at UCLA in August. Here's your chance to view proceedings of the five-day conference that featured Tavis Smiley, Hill Harper, Cornel West and Lalah Hathaway. Details for the 2009 Institute are available here. Toyota Offers Program for Teen Drivers Teens and their parents are invited to attend Toyota's Driving Expectations, a FREE 4-hour defensive-driving program. This is not basic driver's training but an educational, non-sales event that includes multiple driving courses and classroom instruction. Toyota will provide vehicles for students to practice everything from braking techniques on wet and dry pavement to accident avoidance maneuvers and skid control for the highway. Toyota Driving Expectations is designed to go beyond basic driver training, providing teens and their parents with knowledge and experience to increase safe driving practices. Parent/guardian participation is mandatory. Teens without a parent or guardian in attendance will not be allowed to participate. The program will be held at Toyota Headquarters, 190001 S. Western Avenue, Torrance, CA 90501. The dates are: July 11-12 and August 8-9. The program is free but registration is mandatory. For more information and to register: www.toyotadriving expectations.com THE TAVIS SMILEY SHOW FEATURES YOUTH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE Young participants of the Tavis Smiley Foundation's Youth Leadership Institute provide insight into the thoughts and feelings of America's future leaders. Listen to what they have to say.