21

M E N T O R I N G E X C E L L E N C E

DAVID PLYLER

Atlanta Youth Academy

Gleneagles GroupBNY Mellon

Kids are more ready to take on responsibility than most adults think,

said David Plyler, chief executive of Gleneagles Group in Atlanta.

To that end, he created the demanding Leadership 101 program

for the Atlanta Youth Academy, an inner-city Christian school.

This young generation is very media-sensitive and focused

on instant gratifi cation. We teach them about patience, goal-

setting, staying on task, and achievement, he said.

The year-long academic program is based on weekly

visits from mentors who teach seventh- and eighth-

graders about leadership, project management, teamwork,

careers, economics and the stock market.

Eighth-graders are divided into teams that serve the school

by performing community service, mentoring and special

projects, and are given complex initiatives to manage. For

example, each team is given a mock investment fund to

trade 20 stocks throughout the year. In a philanthropy

exercise, teams are given $3,000 to $5,000 to donate,

requiring them to research and interview different charities.

For Mr. Plyler, the benefi ts are broad.

Im a hands-on person; Im not a person who can sit on

boards. I like to be in the fray. And it has reconnected me to

the passion I had for the civil rights movement in the 60s. men

tor