McConnell Center announces 2024 Young Leaders Academy

By Madelin Shelton
McConnell Center announces 2024 Young Leaders Academy

Louisville, Ky. (January 29, 2024) – The application for the McConnell Center’s annual Young Leaders Academy is now open. The Young Leaders Academy (YLA) is a one-week summer residential leadership conference at the University of Louisville for Kentucky high school students. This year’s YLA conference will take place from Tuesday, July 16 through Saturday, July 20.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Revisiting American Constitutionalism.” Sessions will be led by faculty, staff, and students at the University of Louisville, as well as other experts in the field of the American founding. Conference topics will include the origins of the written Constitution, the Federalist and Anti-Federalist debates, and a variety of other topics pertinent to the foundations of the United States.

The application deadline for this year’s conference is Friday, March 29. Applications must include a one-page resume, an essay, and a letter of recommendation. More information is available on the McConnell Center civics page.

YLA is open to students who have completed at least one year of high school as of summer 2024. All students selected to attend the conference will receive a full scholarship that includes free lodging, meals, and all conference materials.

For more information contact Meghan Waters, Director of External Education, at (502)852-3158 or meghan.waters@louisville.edu.

The McConnell Center began the non-profit, non-partisan Civic Education Program in 2005 to help Kentucky citizens develop a better understanding of the U.S. Constitution and American history and to encourage open and free discussion of perennial concerns that inform contemporary politics.