Home/Leadership Programs

Leadership Programs

Bringing Out the Best in Today’s Youth!

Our leadership programs offer meaningful opportunities for youth to play an active role within their communities. Our customized programs are specifically designed to empower our youth to become formidable leaders. All of SLYO’s leadership programs fall into four major categories:

Professional Development

Financial Literacy

Rise to Lead

Sustainability

01.

Professional Development

At SLYO, we are committed to investing in young people and bolstering their skills. Education and self-improvement are inevitably linked to higher rates of employment and better quality of life. Through our professional development initiatives, we aim to help them achieve their highest potential, providing them with the tools to become confident and resilient young adults.

Conferences

SLYO hosts annual conferences for its members. These serve as excellent networking opportunities. Participants are exposed to panel discussions, workshops, keynote speakers, and opportunities to network with other leaders.

Leadership Mentoring Program

Our leadership mentoring program pairs youth with a mentor from any of our chapters. This program offers 1:1 coaching and guidance for youth at any stage of their life, allowing them the valuable opportunity to learn and grow under the mentorship of an
experienced SLYO member. Past mentors have included doctors, engineers, and financiers.

Success with SLYO

This program consists of virtual events that feature young professionals from different fields. We offer young people interested in pursuing specific career paths to have easy access to mentorship and guidance from individuals who have successfully navigated these pathways.

Practical Knowledge

SLYO gives the opportunity for youth to practice what they have learned and to apply their skills to survive in today’s competitive world. They utilize and apply knowledge gained by collaborating in project-based learning. SLYO’s projects are designed in such a way so that members are able to learn all aspects of project planning and launching a successful event or fundraiser from beginning to end. In doing so, our youth are able to head out into the world with a level of experience that puts them ahead of others.

02.

Financial Literacy

It is imperative that young people maintain a strong grasp on financial literacy in order to be successful in their chosen career paths and daily lives. Through a variety of different offerings, we provide our youth with the tools they would need to educate themselves about these topics. By doing so, we empower our youth to make informed decisions and choices as they navigate the world.

“Money Talk”

We partner with financial institutions to offer resources geared towards empowering youth to understand and take control of their finances. As part of this effort, we provide comprehensive packets that contain reading materials and templates which teach young
people about important topics surrounding financial literacy. Some of the topics we cover include budgeting, building and maintaining credit, college financial aid, debts, and smart investing.

Virtual Financial Events and Conferences

SLYO periodically hosts virtual events, mainly in the form of panel discussions, where we address common issues young people face when tasked with organizing their finances. In addition, during our annual leadership conference, we host a dedicated session where financial experts educate our youth on financial literacy and answer any questions that arise (Q&A format).

Fundraising for Projects

Fundraising for our projects and initiatives not only gives our youth an opportunity to learn about values such as hard work, gratitude, and generosity; it also teaches them valuable financial lessons. Setting a target fundraising goal, managing the ins-and-outs of the project, and ensuring that funds are appropriately budgeted and allocated places our youth ahead of the game. This is a great segue into their future personal and professional endeavors!

03.

Rise to Lead

Rise to Lead, SLYO’s sister nonprofit, was created to provide our youth with the tools and resources needed to succeed through education, advocacy, and leadership opportunities to better strengthen their community. Rise to Lead’s vision is to allow our community to learn and grow while upholding our four pillars of Diversity & Equality, Education, Leadership, and Animal Care. Each pillar is an important part of life and important to building a stronger community and sense of self.

Programs

Please contact us if you or your school is interested in partnering in one or both of the below Rise to Lead Programs.

Middle School Library Adoption

the purpose of this program is two-fold:

To educate middle school students in the US about Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan culture, and introduce relationships with kids in another part of the world.

Raise funds that will be used to build a library in rural and underserved villages in Sri Lanka and manage the project from beginning to end.

leadership-programs
leadership-programs

04.

Sustainability

At the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Summit on September 25, 2015, world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030. By today, more and more young people, youth-led initiatives, and corporates have pledged their support for the global movement. SLYO is happy to contribute to this Global Agenda and support the global transition to a more sustainable way of living.

Over the years SLYO has conducted and completed a large number of educational programs, environmental programs, and community welfare projects. Each of these activities has contributed to the UN’s 2030 Agenda, and the following are the goals which our organization advocates for through our activities of social impact! Through our platform and programs, we hope that SLYO youth will be able to learn more about SDGs and be on their way to leaving a positive impact on the world around them.

SLYO for SDGs