Siegfried Youth Leadership Program® — a collaborative effort between The Siegfried Group, LLP, the University of Delaware’s Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, and Junior Achievement of Delaware — continues to inspire and support students in grades 8 - 12.

Making your dreams a reality requires courage and a willingness to entirely commit yourself to those dreams. “Fully commit to what you want, no matter what it is,” explained E.J. Carrion, best-selling author, successful entrepreneur, and thought-leader on student success. “Write it all down, all your dreams, and then figure out what you’re going to do. It’s not about your IQ, it’s about your I WILL,” he said.

Carrion was the most recent guest speaker at a Siegfried Youth Leadership Program (SYLP) event, and he compassionately delivered an upbeat and inspiring presentation to the more than 300 students and their teachers in attendance. SYLP provides students with the inspiration, passion, and tools they need to strengthen their individual leadership skills. This is Carrion’s second SYLP experience — in 2016, he was the guest speaker at the inaugural event.

Your mindset, your choice, your success

Amy Devlin and Kevin Keegan, leadership team members from The Siegfried Group, LLP (Siegfried), kicked off the day, delivering a thoughtful session that asked students to embrace the power of their mindset. “Mindset is so important to your success,” said Devlin. “The ideas and attitudes that you approach a situation with are your choice. You choose how to react to things, and you choose to see the positive in the negative.”

Throughout the day, the students took quiet time to reflect and write down their insights, including their accomplishments, their dreams, and their fears. Several courageous volunteers stepped up to the microphone to share with the crowd. In addition to meaningful sessions led by Devlin, Keegan, and Carrion, four students joined Devlin and Keegan for a panel discussion on their dreams and potential roadblocks.

“Today is all about you, and it’s your chance to find your ambition, your courage, and your humility, and dig in to what you want. But, it’s up to you. How much effort do you want to give?” Keegan asked the students, encouraging them to take advantage of the unique opportunity SYLP creates for them. “We hope that what you see and experience here today can help you for the rest of your life.”

Creating leadership development opportunities for young people

Siegfried has spent more than 30 years helping people transform themselves into better leaders. In 2016, Rob Siegfried, founder and CEO of Siegfried, expanded this reach and created an innovative initiative with young people in mind. This initiative, now called Siegfried Youth Leadership Program™, helps students in grades 8 – 12 develop the leadership qualities they need to have a successful future.

“SYLP was inspired by my daughter and her belief that I could share something with younger generations,” said Rob. “I want to impress on this group the importance of personal leadership to find something inspiring, a personal passion, and use it to lead a purposeful and fulfilling future.”

Future events

The impact of SYLP builds with each event and brings a purposeful rhythm to the leadership journey for young people. The next SYLP event will be on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at the University of Delaware. More information is available at siegfriedyouthleadershipprogram.com.