June 13, 2007 - The eighth annual Michigan Youth Leadership Forum for high school students with disabilities will be held June 17-21 at Michigan State University, Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG) Director Keith W. Cooley has announced.

Thirty students from across the state will participate in the five-day leadership development program, which also cultivates citizenship and social skills.

"This program for young people has a proven track record of success, and so we are very pleased to offer it again this year," said Cooley. "Many of the participants from past years have gone on to become leaders in their local communities as well as at the state level."

The forum is based on mentor relationships and developing leadership by example, Cooley said. Successful adults with disabilities serve as mentors in their roles as small group leaders and the majority of program presenters are people with disabilities.

The week's activities will include a day at the State Capitol, debating a disability issue, learning about disability rights laws and innovations in technology, and participating in mock employment interviews.

The student participants, representing a wide range of disability characteristics and ethnicities, have been selected through a competitive application process and will attend at no cost to their families. Fourteen are male and 16 are female.

The corporate sponsors of this year's forum are Dow Chemical and General Motors. Other businesses as well as individuals, nonprofit organizations such as the Christopher Reeve Foundation, and state government agencies have also made donations to support the program.

Read more Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth press releases.