Dear NTLP Friends, Family, and Supporters,
As we have communicated previously, these past two years have been a real struggle for the National Teen Leadership Program. Like many non-profit organizations, we have had to make a lot of difficult decisions as a means to continue our legacy. In April, the Board of Directors paused programming and canceled workshops, with plans to reevaluate our strategy and reimagine what NTLP can be. While contemplating our future plans, we’ve also taken this time to reflect on how NTLP has impacted the community over the years and we take great pride in our accomplishments.
30 years ago, the foundation of the National Teen Leadership Program was born. Since that time, we’ve brought leadership development skills and social emotional learning to over 18,000 students from across the United States and international borders. In those years, we expanded our camps to Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Texas, and Massachusetts, and introduced a Diversity Workshop as well as other one-day workshops. Our inaugural camp was held in Sacramento in 1992 and our last camp in 2019 was also held in the city where it all started. Sadly, the onset of COVID-19 caused the cancellation of our 2020 and 2021 camps as well as other in-person workshops. In response to the pandemic, we pivoted and launched an online web education series, partnered with local organizations to offer virtual workshops, and introduced a leadership online program with our first international partner, Skillarthi of India. While students from 13 states and 4 countries attended our online programs over the last 2 years, the volume of attendance was insufficient to keep this business model sustainable.
Looking ahead, the timing to “normalized” business conditions back to a pre-COVID 19 level remains highly uncertain. The unpredictable environment makes it prohibitive for NTLP to do what NTLP does best – provide motivating and inspiring in-person camps and workshops. It also makes it challenging for the Board and NTLP to be effective in future program planning and implementation. Regretfully, the Board members have voted unanimously that the best path for NTLP at this time is to begin initiating steps to wind down NTLP’s 30 year legacy.
Announcing the news of our closure deeply saddens us. We cherish the memories we’ve helped you create and hope that you hold onto them and commemorate the past 30 years with us. We celebrate the opportunity we’ve had to impact you, your teen, teen children of past alumni, and the greater community. We truly thank you for your years of friendship and support. We wish you all the very best. Please stay safe and well.
Regards,
Board of Directors
National Teen Leadership Program