Lead DSM recently announced the 37 students from 19 public and private schools across Greater Des Moines who are in the Youth Leadership Initiative class of 2024. The initiative provides high school students with hands-on experiences in an effort to help them become better leaders for their schools and communities. By the end of the program, the goal is for students to value community involvement; demonstrate professional skills and an understanding of career opportunities; demonstrate the five practices of exemplary leadership; and have developed lifelong relationships with peers, mentors and community members. Students will meet twice a month to discuss issues and opportunities in the Greater Des Moines region and improve their leadership skills. Participation in the program will include free tuition for all students due to the help of community sponsors, led by presenting sponsor, Principal Financial Group. Principal Foundation will provide curriculum support with its DataSetGo program, a first-of-its-kind virtual data science course that has reached more than 17,900 U.S. students since launching in 2022. A full list of the participants in the class of 2024 is available here.