The University of Virginia Center for Politics launched the national Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI) as its signature program in 1998 to combat the rising tide of apathy and cynicism many Americans -- and particularly young people-- feel toward politics and government.

Under the direction of Dr. Larry Sabato, Robert Kent Gooch professor of government at the University of Virginia, the Youth Leadership Initiative is a national citizenship education program designed to involve middle and high school students in the fundamentals of the American political process. YLI develops classroom resources and social studies course units that are specifically linked to Virginia’s academic curriculum standards. Technology is a significant component of the Youth Leadership Initiative and the primary tool that enables YLI to link schools and students with their counterparts in every region of the state and throughout the nation.

The goal for the program is to rekindle citizen interest and participation in the American electoral process. To achieve this goal, the YLI couples academic excellence and cutting-edge technology with civic and community participation and leadership. Using high-tech resources, the Youth Leadership Initiative hosts online candidate forums, mock internet elections, an e-Congress, issue discussions, public town hall meetings, and community symposia.

For further information about how you and your school can participate in the Youth Leadership Initiative, please visit the YLI Web site (http://www.youthleadership.net/) or contact YLI toll-free at 1-866-514-8389 or email ylihelp@virginia.edu.

The following lesson plans are just a few examples of the many resources made available to teachers through this Virginia-based instructional Web site.