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Sarasota News Leader November 2, 2012 ple to civic life. STAR started out with 10 stu- dents and 10 boards. We now have more than 125 high school-aged youth who have com- pleted the training ... The success of the STAR training led to a change in Florida State Stat- utes that makes it legal for youth ages 15 and over to serve on nonprofit boards of directors. Florida is one of just four states that allow this! News Leader: How often do the students get together and go on outings such as attending the School Board meeting? Roehr: Students in the fall session of STAR Leadership Training meet once a week on Saturdays for 13 weeks. We have a variety of events that are built into the curriculum of the training. After the students go to a School Board meeting, they have the opportunity to enjoy an open discussion with available School Board members, Superintendent White and Steve Cantees, executive director of high schools. The School Board members, White and Cantees are always very welcoming and generous with their time, and this gives the students an opportunity to openly ask ques- tions relating to their school or the district. As you probably noticed, some of them are not shy with their questions! Another popular training event takes place on what we like to call "County Day." For this, we spend an entire day touring Sarasota County Government, with students given a behind- the-scenes look at our local government func- tions. They sit in on a County Commission meeting, and they tour the 911 Call Center, the Emergency Operations Center, the Access Sarasota TV facility and the county jail. The commissioners join the students for lunch and open discussion as well. Page 60 It is a great opportunity for students to see how decisions are actually made at the local level. News Leader: Do you have any standards or goals you are required to meet? What is your main funding source? Roehr: Our mission is "To empower youth as leaders in service to their community." Our goals are to engage 2,000 youth in positive activities in the community and to serve 300 youth in leadership training programs. We have a contract with Sarasota County Gov- ernment to provide activities to youth, and we receive funding from the Community Founda- tion of Sarasota County for the STAR Leader- ship Training. We also have a large number of individuals and businesses that support CYD. News Leader: How did you get involved with CYD? Roehr: I am recent graduate of our very own University of South Florida-Sarasota Manatee, and, not wanting to leave the area — Sarasota is just way too nice of a place to live! — I be- gan searching for organizations that were in line with my personal interests and passions. I came across CYD, and I truly believe that our youth have a unique and important per- spective. I was initially drawn to the way CYD treats youth: as equal partners. CYD strives to cre- ate an atmosphere of youth-adult partnership, and I personally believe that is essential for our youth. Knowing that their opinions and perspectives are important can make a huge impact in their lives, and I wanted to be a part of it.