2026 TEEN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
YOUTH LEADING CHANGE
Presented by Stella’s Girls, Incorporated
“TLA has helped me make connections throughout Southern Maryland that I would definitely not have been able to make myself. It has taught me leadership and presenting skills that I use everyday during school.”
– Isabella “Biz” Lynch, 2018 TLA Ambassador
Leadership skills are a vital part of everyday life. Leadership Southern Maryland’s Teen Leadership Academy teaches and develops those skills in a hands-on, experiential program with workshops and visits to meet with regional leaders in their workplaces throughout Southern Maryland.
This summer’s week-long camp, presented by the international youth development nonprofit Stella’s Girls, Incorporated, will empower up to 15 youth ages 13–18 from Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties to become active community leaders through hands-on learning, intergenerational mentorship, and collaborative problem-solving. Students will explore local community issues; develop innovative solutions to problems, challenges, opportunities they identify; and present their ideas to a panel of regional leaders.
The camp will be activity-based and youth-directed, ensuring that students are at the center of the experience.
Teens from Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties entering grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.
College of Southern Maryland Hughesville Regional Campus
Note: Transportation assistance to CSM’s Hughesville Regional Campus will be available each day.
July 27-31, 2026
8:00am-5:00pm, Monday-Friday
Apply at https://bit.ly/2026TLA. The application deadline is July 17, 2026.
Application Fee: $275 (Waived)
Tuition: $1,400. Tuition covers supplies, daily lunch, and transportation for field trips to places as part of daily programming. After participant selection, tuition will be invoiced by Stella’s Girls, Incorporated.
Financial Assistance: NEW! Ten full scholarships will be awarded to participants on the basis of leadership promise or financial need.
Learn more about the Academy experience, schedule, application process, and available scholarship opportunities at our virutal information session, on Tuesday, July 14, 7pm via Zoom. Advance registration is strongly encouraged.
Share the 2026 TLA Flyer with friends!
For more information, contact LSM Executive Director Dr. Sybol Anderson at [email protected].
Want to know more? Check out what teens in past years had to say about TLA!
