Ryleigh Stevens wins the first Youth Leadership Award at the 2021 WNC Honors Awards.
WNC Communities (WNCC) and NC Outward Bound have partnered to recognize youth leadership and provide scholarships to outstanding youth leaders across Western North Carolina as part of the annual WNC Honors Awards.
At the event on December 2nd, WNCC awarded the first ever Youth Leadership Award to Ryleigh Stevens of Caney Fork Community Development Association.
For more than 70 years, WNC Communities has recognized community achievement across WNC. We desire to encourage youth participation, initiative, and leadership; hence, we will begin offering a youth leadership award based upon the annual WNC Honors Awards application for a youth-initiated and youth-led project or program that contributed in a meaningful way to one of our active community clubs. Our WNC Honors Awards committee will select the awardees as part of the overall Honors Awards process.
For 50 years, North Carolina Outward Bound School (NCOBS) has delivered challenging outdoor adventure programs based in experiential education to people of all ages and walks of life. These programs help individuals discover their strength of character, ability to lead, and desire to serve. With a desire to increase participation and support our Western North Carolina youth, NCOBS will provide up to three youth awardees per year a tuition-free NC Outward Bound School course.
- Winners must be 14-18 at the time of attending the course which will be the summer following the November award.
- Participants must complete a medical screening to go on an Outward Bound course to ensure that any medical needs can be met in the wilderness
Timeline: WNC Honors Awardees are typically selected and recognized in November at an annual luncheon. At this time, the awardee(s) and NC Outward Bound will be notified and put in contact to proceed with all necessary paperwork for the following year summer course.