Trending
As long-time readers know, I’ve been active with the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce for many years and one of my favorite parts of that involvement is putting together its leadership programs.
Each year, the Chamber organizes two such programs. Youth Leadership Weirton is open to incoming sophomores from Weir, Madonna, Oak Glen, and Brooke high schools. Applications are provided to the schools during the spring, with the program launching each September.
For our business community, there is Leadership Ohio Valley. This program begins in early November, with sessions taking place almost every month through June.
Efforts are in the works to form the Leadership Ohio Valley Class of 2027, and representatives of the Chamber (myself included) will be reaching out to area businesses in the coming months to see if anyone has a potential candidate for the program.
I went through the program almost 18 years ago, making connections with others in our local business community and learning about the opportunities to give back, as well as about many of the elements that contribute to our society.
The program has been adjusted since then, but the core aspects remain.
Participants take part in sessions focused on areas such as business development, education, government, and history, while learning about the importance of teamwork and volunteerism, and, hopefully, learning something new abou themselves.
Not every Chamber of Commerce offers such a program, and one of the things that make Leadership Ohio Valley stand out is, while the Weirton Chamber sets the schedule, it is up to the class members themselves to plan the majority of their activities.
They also are tasked with implementing a group project in service to the community before they graduate, providing an opportunity to leave their mark, whether big or small.
Past projects have included everything from landscaping near the entrance to the Panhandle Rail Trail to raising money for local veterans groups to providing yard work for a local non-profit to assisting the Chamber itself with a few tasks.
You won’t be alone, though. Each class has two to three coordinators, typically from the previous class, as well as a group of community advisors who specialize in the areas of "study" to provide guidance if needed.
The Chamber staff is there as well.
As I’ve said, efforts have begun to seek out those who might be interested in being a part of the 2027 class.
There have been a few people express interest, but November will be here before we know it, so it would be nice to have a solid number of participants set to go sooner rather than later.
The Chamber is working to reach out to some potential participants now, but if you are part of the local business community - whether you own a business, have an employee you think would benefit from the program, or are an employee or business owner who wants to take part in it yourself - reach out to the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce for more information. You can even reach out to me, and I’ll provide whatever guidance I can.
A healthy community needs people who are active participants. You don’t have to be elected to an office to be a leader. You just need to be willing to step forward and help wherever you can.
Programs such as Leadership Ohio Valley are there to help open the door, introducing you to other like-minded individuals who want to find ways to contribute, and showing you some possible opportunities to do so.