Local Dale Carnegie Program Teaches Baltimore Students Fearless Public Speaking

40 Will Graduate Saturday from the Weekend R.L. Cook Leadership Series

BALTIMORE – On Saturday, June 3 at 11:30 a.m., Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-7^th) will help 40 Baltimore teens celebrate their "graduation" from a leadership program sponsored by R.L Cook & Associates and the Baltimore City Career Connections Partnership. The ceremony will be held in the School Board Room of Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) headquarters at 200 East North Avenue.

"When I completed this course I wasn’t afraid of anything," said Sarah Hockaday, a leadership training graduate from the class of 1998, who is now majoring in business management at Morgan State University. For the past 12 years Mr. Walter Fales, account executive at the Co-Star Group, has been delivering a modified-for-youth Dale Carnegie curriculum to BCPSS high school juniors compliments of R.L. Cook & Associates – a local Dale Carnegie affiliate.

"Dale Carnegie will soon be packaging this seminar as leadership training for Generation Next(instead of Generation X)," shared Mr. Fales. "The curriculum is exciting, and has even helped one of this year’s graduates stay focused under very difficult circumstances – a mistaken identity arrest. The student was able to treat the police officers with respect, remember their names and minimize the problems he might have encountered had he not had these important skills. He stayed focused and positive by using his training."

Program graduates such as Monica Crowell, who is in her second year at Baltimore City Community College, also reported, "It has helped me not to be nervous in front of large groups of people."

"We are enormously grateful to Mr. Walter Fales and Mr. Robert Cook for their commitment to Baltimore City youth," says Alice Cole, management and education specialist with the Baltimore City Career Connections Partnership. "They have made a significant contribution to the lives of over 500 youth in the last 12 years, and we are privileged to have their continuing support. Thanks to their efforts, our youth have completed college and become successful members of the community."

Career Connections is Baltimore’s education, workforce preparation and economic development partnership. It is part of a national system used in thousands of schools across the country to prepare students for careers and higher educational opportunities. Educators, employers, parents, students and other community leaders are working together to improve curriculum, increase career preparedness, and provide educational alternatives for all students. Young people are encouraged to select career majors, and are exposed to professionals and experiences in their fields of interest. For more information about other activities in Baltimore, please contact Alice Cole on 410-396-6722.