TRAINING FOR TOMORROW
Students Take On the FBI Academy
09/22/06
 |
|
Director
Mueller speaks with FBI Youth
Leadership Program attendees.
|
|
It was quite a week for this select group
of 51 teenagers: they chatted with the FBI
Director, studied in the same classrooms where
our new agents learn the ropes, got an inside
look at our headquarters strategic command
center, and tackled a grueling obstacle course
used to toughen up U.S. Marines and law enforcement
officers.
It
was all part of the Youth Leadership Program,
a nine-year-old initiative modeled on our
National
Academy and run by its graduates in the
FBI National
Academy Associates.
The
program's mission? To develop tomorrow's
leaders—and hopefully future FBI and
criminal justice professionals.
The
students—all bright, well-rounded incoming
high school sophomores and juniors—came
from across the U.S. and from as far away
as Canada, Scotland, and Australia. They earned
spots in the program based on their academic
achievements, leadership abilities, and involvement
in school and community activities.
How
did the students spend their time at our training
facility in rural Virginia? Not just studying
hard and learning a great deal, but making
new friends, experiencing other cultures and
traditions, and having fun along the way.
The
students' days began at dawn and didn't end
until well after sundown. Most mornings started
with a mile-run or other physical training.
Then the students typically settled into the
classroom to learn leadership skills and all
about the criminal justice system from FBI
agents and law enforcement graduates from
the Academy. Among the courses: ethics, integrity,
and decision making; leadership concepts and
communication; goal setting; juvenile violence
in America; and the law and its effects. In
the evening, the students played sports, visited
D.C. memorials, studied or enjoyed some free
time, and even took tests.
The
students also saw FBI operations up close
and personal, both at the Academy and at our
headquarters in Washington. They toured
the driving course where our employees learn
defensive driving skills, got a polygraph
demonstration, and walked the streets of Hogan's
Alley where we conduct realistic training
exercises for agents. Along the way, of course,
Director Mueller and other FBI professionals
couldn't help describing career opportunities
in the Bureau and giving the students their
best recruiting pitches.
As
a final mental and physical challenge, the
students attempted to conquer the "Yellow
Brick Road"—a nearly-three mile
run across the Marine obstacle course that
features walls, ropes, and wooded trails.
Like their adult counterparts, the students
who completed the challenge earned a coveted
"Yellow Brick."
As
with the National Academy, the program doesn't
end the moment the students pack up and head
home. They're invited to join an alumni group
that attends events together and keeps in
touch.
Interested
in applying or want to learn more about the
program? Go to the FBINAA
website for all the details. You can also
read about opportunities that the FBI offers
to young people on our FBI
Jobs Student Center webpage.
Resources:
The FBI
Academy | Director
Mueller's 09/19 speech on the National Academy
program
