The Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) recently recognized Macon-Bibb County GCAPS student Caroline Anderson with its first-ever Youth Leadership Award. Assistant County Manager and GCAPS Coordinator Charles Coney accepted the award on her behalf during the 2016 ACCG Annual Conference at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center, and he presented the Award to her at a Macon-Bibb County Commission Meeting on May 3.
“I am truly honored to have received the ACCG Youth Leadership Award. I would like to thank ACCG for creating the Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students because it has educated me about the importance of civic involvement, and GCAPS has allowed me to become the leader that I am today,” says Ms. Anderson. “I would also like to thank Macon-Bibb County for installing the GCAPS program in my community, and especially Mr. Coney for all of his hard work with this program.”
“Caroline Anderson is an exceptional student leader and an accurate reflection of the caliber of participants engaged in our county government youth programs,” said ACCG Executive Director Ross King. “Fostering the next generation of local government leaders is a priority for ACCG as it is a critical part of our Civic Affairs Foundation mission. We like to celebrate the achievements of our youth leaders and decided there is no better way to do so than to honor them with a leadership award.”
Anderson is a senior at Mount de Sales Academy and a member of the Key Club, National Charity League, Do Something Club, and the Watson Brown Foundation. She has been a member of the Macon-Bibb County GCAPS program since the 2014-2015 academic year, having been reselected out of 100 students to serve as a member of the current cohort. In addition, Anderson was chosen along with two other students to serve as youth commissioners.
“From the very beginning of her participation, Caroline has shown her dedication to learning more about government and how she and others can be more involved,” says Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert. “I know that wherever she goes, she will contribute greatly to her community and government, and we would be very fortunate to have her working in Macon-Bibb County.”
Noted as a strong ambassador for the youth of her local community, Anderson has participated in and led numerous community events on topics such as crime, blight, and community revitalization. She previously represented her local government on a national stage at the 2015 National League of Cities and as a youth delegate at the 2016 Georgia Municipal Association’s Mayor’s Day Conference. She has also worked with the White House’s ConnectHome Initiative when her GCAPS cohort adopted it as their signature community service project. Her work with ConnectHome included registering public housing families for the program as well as helping them understand Pres. Obama’s emphasis on bridging the national digital divide.
About Macon-Bibb GCAPS
For the past three years, Bibb County (and now Macon-Bibb County) has participated in the Association County Commissioners of Georgia’s (ACCG) Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students (GCAPS). More than 100 students from Bibb County public and private schools applied for this year’s cohort, and more than 30 were selected through a rigorous application and interview process to participate.
Students in the Macon-Bibb GCAPS cohort get to see how government works, what’s changing through consolidation, and how they can be involved with and improve the community now and in the future. Throughout the course of the year, students take part in team-building exercises, attend Commission meetings, tour county facilities, visit the State Capitol, and interact with local and state leaders.
Pictures from their visits can be seen on their Facebook page, and MaconBibbTV produced a feature video on their trip to the Gold Dome and Suwanee.
About ACCG
ACCG is Georgia’s county association and works on behalf of county officials and their communities by providing public policy and legislative advocacy, leadership development, civic and community engagement initiatives, insurance and retirement programs that specialize in local government needs and other cost-saving programs. Formed in 1914 when county officials came together to help fund the state’s first highway department, ACCG today serves as a catalyst for advancing Georgia’s counties. For more information, go to www.accg.org.
