Youth Leadership Scholarship Program

The California Police Youth Charities has joined with the California Narcotic Officer's Association in offering the Youth Leadership Scholarship Program. The program recognizes Grade 12 students who have engaged in meaningful leadership and citizenship volunteer activities during the past year. These volunteer activities should focus on making a difference in their community and their school.

Eligible applicants must be a graduating high school senior; be a California resident, and be the son, daughter or ward of an active or retired California Peace Officer to qualify.

Winners will receive $500.00 in scholarship funds to be used at any California post-secondary institution.

Youth Leadership Scholarship Program

The California Police Youth Charities has joined with the California Narcotic Officer’s Association in offering the Youth Leadership Scholarship Program. The program recognizes Grade 12 students who have engaged in meaningful leadership and citizenship volunteer activities during the past year. These volunteer activities should focus on making a difference in their community and their school.

Eligible applicants must be a graduating high school senior in 2024; be a California resident, and be the son, daughter or ward of an active or retired California Peace Officer to qualify. For purposes of this scholarship, an active or retired California Peace Officer is recognized as any officer qualifying for peace officer status under California Penal Code Section 830. This includes all local and state peace officers who are employed as active duty full-time paid peace officers or who were once full-time paid peace officers and have been retired from their respective agency with a service retirement or disability retirement and are currently receiving retirement benefits.

Five scholarships of $500 each are available to grade 12 students. Scholarships may be used to pursue post-secondary studies at any California-recognized postsecondary education institution.

To apply for a scholarship, applicants must meet the following minimum eligibility requirements:

• Volunteer at least 16 hours of verified community service.
• Complete the enclosed application form along with your essay containing 500 to 600 words on the importance of community service and how it affects the community as a whole. The essay must be written while you are monitored by a parent or guardian during a 120-minute time period. Any notes used in the preparation of the essay must be submitted with the essay.
• Have your parent or guardian sign the enclosed certification that they personally monitored the writing of the essay.
• Provide a letter from the organization in which you provided community service verifying the completion of a minimum of sixteen (16) hours of volunteer service.

This letter should also include a description of the service provided, and how the service benefited the organization.

Selection Criteria

Application assessment will be based on the following criteria:

• All essays will be judged for content, grammar, format, creativity and structure.
• Extent to which the student demonstrated the importance of good citizenship in his/her essay;
• Extent to which the student demonstrated leadership in his/her essay;
• Extent to which the volunteer work addressed the goals of the community;
• Degree to which the volunteer work provided a direct service to the community;
• Impact of the student's work in the school or community, and;
• Number of hours the student volunteered.

Descriptors

Citizenship: Youth citizenship activities are activities that involve youth in volunteering in their schools and communities by developing good relations with others, working in cooperative ways toward achieving common goals, and by collaborating with others for the well-being of their communities.

Leadership: Youth leadership, in the context of this scholarship, is defined as leading by organizing other groups of youth or leading by example by being involved in citizenship volunteer activities in their schools and communities.

Announcement of scholarship winners will be made by California Police Youth Charities following the selection process by members of the California Narcotic Officer’s Association. Awarding of these scholarships will be made at the California Police Youth Charities Youth Banquet at a time and location to be announced. The Scholarship funds of $500.00 will be paid upon receipt of certification of your enrollment in a California college of your choice in a full-time (12 or more units) status.