Flint Teens Graduate from MSP Leadership Academy Program

At a ceremony on Thursday, 21 young men from Flint graduated from the Michigan State Police Youth Leadership Academy. The Academy is designed to inspire teens to recognize their potential, be leaders and mentors in their communities and develop personal character through partnerships with law enforcement.

During the week -long academy, held at the MSP Training Academy in Lansing, officers from the MSP and the Flint Police Department served as mentors and classroom instructors. Lessons focused on the "Keys for Character," which includes Service, Integrity, Excellence, Courtesy and Pride; teaching the cadets how to apply these "Keys" to their everyday lives in an effort to have a positive impact on their nation, state, community, schools, homes and personal lives.

Areas of instruction included: physical training, first aid, ethics, military drill, water safety, presentation skills, interview skills, leadership and other team and character building exercises. Cadets also received presentation by the MSP Canine Unit, Precision Driving Unit and Emergency Support Team.

The program also included a tour of the State Capitol and an opportunity to write letters of support to soldiers and letters of appreciation to their families, as well as training modules from the Teaching, Education and Mentoring (T.E.A.M.) program on the topics of "Understanding Law Enforcement," "Violence has No Place in a Relationship" and "Gangs and Violence - Problem Solving."

The MSP has been running the Academy since 2005. To date, 732 teens have attended the academy representing the cities of Benton Harbor, Battle Creek, Detroit, Flint, Kalamazoo, Pontiac and more. This program is federally funded by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant.