Congressional Youth Leadership Council

The Congressional Youth Leadership Council (CYLC) was founded in 1985 to provide leadership training to young students. It is a subsidiary organization of the for-profit Envision EMI, LLC, of Vienna, Virginia, which produces hundreds of similar conferences in multiple locations across the United States and in Australia and China. Formerly a 501(c)3 non-profit, its assets were acquired by Envision in 2007.

Envison EMI produces four programs under the Congressional Youth Leadership Council brand targeted for middle, junior high, and high school students.

CYLC conferences

Envision has always provided all of the organization's administrative services and staff, including marketing and managing its programs. The co-founder of the parent company, Richard Rossi, is recognized as a direct marketing genius. Envision recruits exclusively using direct marketing techniques. The Congressional Youth Leadership Council includes the following programs..

• Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC), middle and junior high school level, where students examine leaders in American history and social advocacy to hone leadership skills. One student said of his exploration of leadership traits, “By learning the six traits you know how to help people and to make good decisions.”

• National Young Leaders State Conference (NYLSC), middle, junior high and high school level, where students focus on eight core leadership power tools. Many students fundraise and receive community support to attend programs.

• National Young Leaders State Conference (NYLSC), middle, junior high and high school level, where students simulate leadership roles through problem-solving. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert addressed NYLC scholars on March 4, 2010. Students also meet with their Representative’s and Senators’ offices.

• Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC), high school level, where students increase diplomatic skills and understand global-scale roles. Offered in Washington, D.C.; New York; Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai, China. Hyndburn Borough Council Leader Britcliffe said, "This was a fantastic opportunity to support a high-achieving young person living in the Borough allowing her to be involved in experiences she wouldn't otherwise have. ... She told us about how the conference has benefited her personally and the community."

The company formerly offered a National Young Leaders Program for elementary school students. Some components of the program were incorporated into Envision’s National Young Scholars Program, an Elementary school level program where teacher-nominated students are introduced to key leadership traits, including teamwork, communication, problem solving, character development and goal setting.

Finances

In 1989, the Congressional Youth Leadership Council selected an independent company (now Envision EMI, LLC) as a partner to help market its programs. To continue expanding on its mission, Envision acquired the assets of CYLC in December 2007, changing CYLC from a non-profit to a for-profit entity. The company retains the .org domain suffix for its web site and all CYLC conferences are now part of the Envision family of programs. Envision EMI runs about 300 programs annually. Its program tuition costs vary.

Because it is a privately held company, there is no accurate independent information on the company’s current finances. CLYC co-founder Richard Rossi said in an April 2009 New York Times article that generally 90 percent of revenue goes into building up programs.

In 2006, while still a non-profit organization, the council grossed USD$56 million tax-free, more than double its revenues in 2002. 1.7 percent, or about $940,000, of that went to scholarships, according to filings with the I.R.S. At the time, the council also had a $12 million endowment that provided $1.1 million in scholarships. Alexander Velaj, a board member involved in the dissolution of the council as a non-profit, noted the asset acquisition of CYLC by Envision did not include the continuation of these scholarships.

CYLC was acquired for USD $16.2 million. Its total revenues including the asset sale were USD$27.8 million, and of that, it paid USD$5,942,719 to Envision EMI, LLC for administration, marketing and management and gave USD$180,550 in scholarships in 2008, decisions made by the CYLC non-profit Board of Directors prior to its acquisition by Envision.

Criticism

Inaugural Conference (2009)

Main article: Envision EMI, LLC

On May 13, 2009, the law firms Hausfeld LLP and DiMuroGinsberg PC filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against Envision and its subsidiary the Congressional Youth Leadership Council on "behalf of over 15,000 middle school, high school, and college students." Letters soliciting participation by students and attached as exhibits to the lawsuit encouraged individuals to sign up quickly because space was "extremely limited." The suit alleges that the company "solicited students all over the country to attend 'educational inaugural conferences' and promised exclusive access and tickets to witness the Presidential Inauguration on the Mall" and many other events and venues which it failed to deliver.

Richard Rossi, a co-founder of Envision, told The New York Times in April 2009 that the logistical challenges during the inauguration were overwhelming. “We were operating in almost a war zone, literally a presidential state of emergency,” Mr. Rossi said. “There were a lot of things going on that were inconveniencing even V.I.P.’s.”

On Dec. 17, 2009, a class-action settlement agreement was preliminarily approved by the U.S. District Court. Details of the proposed settlement have not been disclosed.

The settlement was as follows: each family that had a student left behind was offered another program in exchange for their false claims or a cash settlement of no more than $700.00 depending upon what parts of the programs the student was excluded from.

Recruitment practices

The company markets its programs to what it describes as "high achievers" and "an elite group of outstanding young people"

In 2006, it paid $263,000 for mailing lists. In 2008, some program materials stated that a minimum 3.5 G.P.A. was required. Educators who nominate students are now told to use their own discretion. Teachers who nominate students to attend the company’s programs say they consider a student’s grades, behavior and participation in class, interactions with other students, and ability to learn. One said, “So it’s not just how many clubs can you get involved with, who do you know and what do you know? It’s: are you the type of person who will be able to step up and be a leader?”

The nomination form does not ask for G.P.A. levels or educational achievement, simply asking only for the student’s name, address, school year and sex.

Patrick O’Connor, the director of college counseling at the Roeper School for gifted students in Birmingham, Michigan, reported that he is "happy to nominate whoever wants to go.” Among college students, Susan Garrity Ardizzoni, director of undergraduate admissions at Tufts University, reported that some students who receive invitations are not what she would consider "leadership material."

Common Cause article

An article in the Fall 1993 edition of Common Cause magazine questioned the selection process and motivation behind CYLC and other similar programs. Common Cause identified methods which then-Senate Minority Leader Robert Dole called "questionable recruiting practices." The company promised to change its methods. Members of the United States Congress and foreign embassies are listed on an 'honorary board of advisers.' These endorsements were questioned by the Common Cause article.

In 1994 the Congressional Record contained remarks that they were pleased with the progress CYLC had made in addressing their concerns.

External links

• Congressional Youth Leadership Council official site