APPLICATIONS FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER ARE CLOSED

Check back in the fall!

What is the Youth Leadership Academy?

The Baytown YLA promotes youth leadership and responsibility through civic education and hands-on learning experiences. The following are the topics for the meetings:

  • Orientation/Baytown Bucks: Parents and guardians are welcome to attend the first 30 minutes of this meeting to go through orientation with our YLA members and learn more about the program. Afterwards students will dive into an overview of the City’s budgeting. This will help prepare you for the sessions to follow! This will be at the Baytown Community Center.
  • HR Mock Interviews: Get to know the role of Human Resources in the City of Baytown and gain interview experience through practice.
  • Plan-a-Park: Learn the ins and outs of how our beautiful parks are planned by participating in this fun game alongside members of our Parks and Recreation team.
  • Spotlight on Public Works: Join us at the Public Works yard to tour all of the interesting vehicles and tools that keep Baytown running - with a chance to speak to the operators. This is an off-site visit. Family members aged 13+ are welcome to attend with the students.
  • YLA Roundtable: Your chance to hear from some representatives of the administrative departments that call City Hall home. Students can ask about their jobs and learn where these different employees fit in the City.
  • Spotlight on Baytown Fire: Cohort members will meet Baytown firefighters and learn about the scope of their responsibilities and training. They will also get a chance to see our firefighters in action! This is an off-site visit at the Baytown Fire Training Field. Family members aged 13+ are welcome to attend with the students.
  • Graduation: YLA members and their families can join us for a final celebration of their time in the program, including a fun game they can participate in with their family.
  • Learn about municipal government from City of Baytown employees
  • Participate in hands-on learning activities to understand how the City functions
  • Develop new friendships and connections with Baytown teens

The Baytown YLA will meet on Thursday evenings from 5:00 - 6:30 at Sterling Municipal Library, with the exception of three “field trips” at different locations. The dates are below:

  • March 21 (Field Trip - Baytown Community Center)
  • March 28
  • April 4
  • April 11 (Field Trip - Public Works and Engineering)
  • April 18
  • April 25 (Field Trip - Fire Training Field)
  • May 2
  • Must be age 14 - 18 at the start of the program in March 2024.
  • Must be enrolled in GCCISD, private, or home school within the GCCISD boundaries
  • Must be willing to commit to meeting times (provided below)

Our applications will be open from February 7 to March 10. Students will be chosen on a lottery basis and we will not hold interviews for admission into the program. We will reach out to all of the applicants the week of March 11th to let them know if they were selected.

If you have any questions about the application or if you need to contact us about an application that was already submitted, please reach out to Katie Beverly through the "Who's Listening" tab on this page.