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Nominations for the 2008 Innovator Awards are now closed.

 

2008 Innovator Awards

Each year, Southern Growth Policies Board honors Southern initiatives that are improving the quality of life in the region. The 2008 Innovator Awards were chosen from initiatives that promote youth engagement and leadership in the region.  We were especially interested in programs that targeted those 14-24 years old.  All nominations complied with the criteria listed below. 

Innovator Awards are presented annually to one organization in each of Southern Growth’s member states — Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Each nominated initiative must fulfill the following criteria:

• Target youth, ages 14-24
• Be truly unique—or highly unusual
• Provide a proven track record or other reliable measures of future success

In addition, each initiative should exhibit one or more of the following characteristics:

• Encourage youth volunteerism and community service
• Involve youth in meaningful, decision-making roles, including programs initiated by youth
• Increase youth participation in the political process 
• Promote youth entrepreneurship
• Provide training, mentoring and/or other activities to build youth leadership skills
• Prepare youth for successful transitions to adulthood, including efforts related to workplace readiness and financial literacy
• Use technology in innovative ways to reach youth 
• Promote inter-generational collaboration and partnerships
• Serve non-traditional populations (immigrants, minorities, disabled)
• Demonstrate collaboration among organizations and service providers

The deadline for nominations was October 22, 2007. 

An outside evaluation panel chose one innovator from each Southern Growth member state for this award.  Southern Growth Policies Board will present the awards at the opening session of its annual conference that will be held on June 1-3, 2008 in Little Rock, Arkansas.  

For more information, please contact Linda Hoke at or 919-941-5145.