INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Marking 49 years of advancing youth in Central Indiana, the Center for Leadership Development reports that 77% of its participants enroll in post-secondary education. Through character-based programming, the organization prepares African American students for professional, business, and community leadership roles.
Based in Indianapolis, the Center for Leadership Development (CLD) has reported that 46% of its participants who attend college earn a degree. This rate stands in contrast to state-wide data, which shows that 25% of Indiana’s African American college students at publicly supported institutions earn a bachelor’s degree within six years.
According to Dennis E. Bland, president of the Center for Leadership Development, the organization operates as a talent development agency. He credits the program’s success to its structured, values-based approach.
“I think it starts with a very strong mission and a commitment to that mission and then trying to become experts in the space of youth development,” Bland said. He noted that the program model encourages students to focus on character, education, leadership, service, and career. Read more.