Rogers Explorers on the campus of Lindsey Wilson College
Fun and exciting events abound at The Center for Rural Development. However, perhaps the most fun and exciting events are occurring right now! During the summer, The Center sponsors three youth programs–Rogers Explorers, Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute (ELI), and Rogers Scholars. The past two weeks, I have been fortunate to participate in two of these camps and I am so very impressed with the future of Southern and Eastern Kentucky. These young adults are truly amazing!
Rogers Explorers is a program for eighth graders in the region. Throughout the program, they focus on leadership, technology, community service, and entrepreneurship. Students stay on campus at either Lindsey Wilson College or the University of the Cumberlands and get to experience college life for a few days. After spending a week with these students, I learned that this region is richly blessed with intelligent, creative, and capable young adults.
ELI is a very intensive week-long camp that targets High Schoolers ranging from Freshmen to Juniors. This camp focuses on developing business and leadership skills while also adding in a bit of fun along the way. In one week, I watched these students create a potential business, develop business financials, create a marketing plan, and present their business idea to a panel of judges. I was amazed! For some people, developing a business idea alone can take months. The winning team created a business that couples the Lake Cumberland area with adventure tourism opportunities.
It was so awesome to be a part of these two camps, but next week we begin another adventure with the Rogers Scholars program. I am sure to have highlights, updates, and photos from this, so definitely stay tuned!
