(The 2021 Youth Leadership Program is on hold until 2022!

More information will be provided this Fall)

Youth Leadership Program

The Youth Leadership Program is presented by the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation and provides High School Students with vital skills to become future community leaders in our local agriculture businesses. It provides great opportunities for Youth in the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds area to learn about the Fairgrounds, the Annual Fair, The Foundation, Agriculture in the Pajaro Valley, and also meet with Leaders in our Community. It gives the class members a chance to explore different occupations and opportunities in areas they have or want to build interest in.

The Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation Board felt that an opportunity to immerse interested Youth in our community in the Fair, Foundation, and their Future. This program is the result of a combination of planning, interest and willingness to reach out to the Youth to build our Communities Agriculture and Fair future!

 Program Criteria:

• This is a Free Program that requires an application and interview for consideration.
• Applicant must be an incoming High School Sophomore, Junior or Senior
• Able to commit to the program schedule: one 2-hour kickoff meeting in June, and four weeks in July – 9am – 1pm Monday through Thursday.
• Able to commit to twenty-five (25) community service hours at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds between August and December
• APPLICATIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE HERE at the start of the 2022 program.

On completion of the Youth Leadership Program, the participants will plan their Celebration Event. The video above was the Dinner and Speaker from the Youth Leadership Class of 2019. Community Agricultural Leader Dick Peixoto was the invited Speaker for the evening.