Revitalizing the American Private Enterprise System (APES) Program The Kentucky Youth Seminar

The high school juniors (Youth Scholars) and seniors (Junior Leaders) who participate in The American Private Enterprise Systems (APES) Youth Program are some of the brightest future leaders Kentucky has. They come together first at a local level, then at a state level, and (for the top 20) at a national level to study how our economy works. They get the opportunity to meet and question local business and professional leaders in their communities and to serve on the board of directors of a corporation and a cooperative and solve problems that real corporations and cooperatives face daily. County extension agents represent the backbone of the APES program. They identify local interests, sponsors, meeting facilities, select discussion leaders, explain program objectives, develop a financial plan, administer all exams, plan and coordinate the awards program, select participants for the state seminar and identify seminar sponsors and complete the final report and select counselors to attend the state seminar. The mission of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service is to make a difference in the lives of Kentucky citizens through research-based education. The County Extension Agents who participate in the The American Private Enterprise Systems Youth Program are truly the best of the best. Adult leaders are crucial to the success of this program. They work in various capacities from serving on the local planning committees. They teach their 6 lessons over the cooperatives' material. Their businesses provide opportunities for tours and also provide financial support for refreshment breaks, meals and other costs incurred in implementing the local program. Categories of local leaders include business owners, teachers, banks, college professors, members of Chambers of Commerce, political leaders and other representative groups. On average there are over 1500 leaders who serve in different capacities on an annual basis. Discussion leaders are business and professional leaders of the community who have volunteered to share their knowledge and viewpoints with the students as they lead them in discussing the topics of the program. The overall emphasis of the program is on Cooperatives and how they work. A specific chapter is dedicated to cooperatives and the other chapters focus on how American is organized to do business. Cooperatives are the last chapter as the other chapters develop a foundation for the student while leading up to the area on Cooperatives.