Youth Leadership Miami Participates in the Endangered World: Biscayne National Park Installation

MIAMI, Fl, January 22, 2010 – The 2010 Youth Leadership Miami (YLM) class is participating in the Endangered World: Biscayne National Park installation with local artist Xavier Cortada as part of the program’s community service component.  Each participant will select an endangered animal, adopting individual and eco-action pledged support to the animal and environment. The selected animal will be painted onto a flag by the participant. 

The flags will be on display at Biscayne National Park from February 14 -May 1 for the 10 weeks leading up to BioBlitz, National Geographic's 24-hour project to count as many living things as possible in Biscayne National Park.  Flag creators will be invited to participate in the event's closing ceremonies and have their flags become a part of an Endangered World traveling exhibit that will go to other national parks around the country.

YLM is a program of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the South Florida Progress Foundation and Wachovia. Participants include 106 students from 33 schools throughout Miami-Dade County.  The two-day program kicks-off on Friday, January 22 and continues on Saturday, January 23 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day at the University of Miami, Whitten University Center, 1306 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables.  The South Florida Progress Foundation will award $1,000 scholarships to seniors that demonstrate a high level of leadership and excel in their studies and community service.  

YLM brings together high school students from both public and private institutions throughout Miami-Dade County to meet and interact with Miami’s leaders.  During the fun, energetic and informative conference, participating teens will have multiple opportunities to increase their self-awareness and leadership skills through a variety of creative-, civic- and environmentally-themed activities. The program expands awareness about the community and broadens personal experiences, as well as future professional goals.  To participate in seventh annual Youth Leadership Miami 2010, students completed and submitted an application to the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.  The conference was free for applicants accepted into the program.  All proceeds and donations were accepted through the South Florida Progress Foundation.  

For more information contact Liane Ventura 305-577-5445 | lventura@miamichamber.com or Leana Cianfoni 305-577-5425 | lcianfoni@miamichamber.com

For more information on the Endangered World: Biscayne National Park Installation contact Arielle Angel, project manager, at participatory.artprojects@gmail.com

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About the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce is an association of businesses and professions organized to create economic progress in Miami-Dade County. To carry out its mission, the Chamber serves as the voice of business enterprise and involves the private sector in community leadership. For more than 100 years, the Chamber has been widely recognized and respected for its extraordinary record of economic development and community improvement.

The Greater Miami Chamber is an activist chamber. Its program of work is organized in five areas: Advocacy, Domestic Business Development, International Business Development, Leadership Programs and Marketing & Member Services. The Chamber has an award-winning website, www.MiamiChamber.com; holds the license to the Miami Free Trade Zone, Inc.; and is widely recognized as one of the Top 10 Executive Speaking Forums in America.