Do you have a friend that loves kids and knows how to motivate and inspire them?

I have a friend like that in Oakley Dickson.

We coached against each other in a local youth flag football league.

At the time, he was a youth pastor at a Mt. Horeb UMC, where he and his family continue to worship.

Now, Dickson has taken on a new challenge as Assistant Director of Youth Corps.

Youth Corps is a life-changing, after school leadership development opportunity for 9th and 10th graders in Richland and Lexington counties.

It is not done in a traditional classroom setting.

Instead, they go to business locations like the University of South Carolina, Colonial Life, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America. There they meet community leaders and businesspeople from careers like banking, medicine, law, the arts and government.

The volunteers teach Youth Corps students in their various disciplines.

There are currently around 150 adult and alumni who help with the effort.

Students identify and unleash their own leadership traits. The program prepares them to live lives of influence and impact their peers, schools, communities and beyond.

High school students in the midlands apply each season for admission to the Youth Corp program.

The application is a 3-step process, and potential enrollees are carefully screened.

They come from public, charter and private high schools as well as home school. Youth Corps offers real-life experience as a supplement to students’ normal schooling.

Once the 36 slots are filled, students begin a unique learning experience.

There are 9 dynamic modules that students go through over the school year.

The modules include a leadership weekend hosted at Camp Cooper, arts and culture, philanthropy and non-profits, crime victims and justice, media and journalism, legislation and government, business and economics, investments and finance, and career and higher education.

Youth Corps was started in 2005 by Jeff Becraft and other concerned local businessmen in the area.

They recognized the need to better equip young leaders of the community.

YC is also preparation for getting into the workplace or going on to College.

There are nearly 500 alumni from the program.

Currently, YC is only available in the Columbia area. But that may change in the next few years.

Oakley was not looking for this new challenge.

He was happily serving as the high school youth pastor at Mt. Horeb UMC.

He was recommended for the job by 3 unaquainted friends. They all thought he would perfect to lead YC.

While at a leadership weekend retreat put on by Youth Corp, he realized this was a divine opportunity for him.

Now he has jumped into the new role with the same vigor and excitement he had coaching flag football.

I anticipate great things for Youth Corps under his leadership.