About YES

Application for YES is now open!
Download this pdf file. Download the application here.

Regional Cohorts

YES 2019 – 2020 will consist of five City Cohorts – Atlanta, Columbus, Athens, Valdosta and Gainesville. Each meetup will consist of no more than 25 participants.  Download this pdf file. Click here to see the regional map to determine which meetup you would like to attend.

Meetup Dates  

Each City Cohort meetup location will be revealed in the participant’s acceptance packet. Each meetup is meant to engage young people in fun activities and thought-provoking discussions that cover a myriad of topics. These topics include socioeconomic studies, leadership development in Georgia’s youth, and examining a career in social services. Meetups will be held from Saturday overnight until Sunday afternoon generally starting at 11 a.m. Saturday morning. The tentative dates of all City Cohort meetups are listed below:

  • Columbus: November 9 - 10, 2019
  • Athens: November 16 – 17, 2019
  • Valdosta: December 7 – 8, 2019
  • Gainesville: February 1 – 2, 2020
  • Atlanta: March 21 – 22, 2020

Application requirements

  • Applicants must be enrolled in a Georgia high school for the 2019 – 2020 school year
  • Applicants must demonstrate promise in the following areas:  
    • Academic Achievement
      Student has exhibited persistence and interest in learning.  
    • Attendance 
      Student’s attendance record must demonstrate the student’s adherence to the established policies and procedures of the local board of education and adherence to mandatory state school attendance policies.
    • Discipline and Behavior 
      A student must not have more than two total combined Level I and/or Level II disciplinary infractions or one Level III disciplinary infraction and no out-of-school suspensions, as defined by Georgia’s Progressive Discipline Model
  • Applicants must be passionate about enacting change in his/her community 
  • Applicants must be willing to be a representative of his/her peers
  • Applicants must be willing to attend the entirety of the Meetup weekend (includes overnight stay)