AT&T Pioneers Host Youth Leadership Initiative

NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T Pioneers today announced the completion of the 2010 Youth Leadership Initiative in Tennessee. The 2010 Youth Leadership Initiative is a pilot program established by the AT&T Pioneer Board of Directors in Tennessee to foster community service and volunteerism values in high school students throughout the state of Tennessee.

Students from throughout Tennessee applied for the opportunity to participate in the four month leadership program.  A total of thirty-two high school students led by seven team leaders participated in the program.  Beginning with a weekend symposium on April 16-17 at the AT&T-Tennessee Corporate Headquarters in Nashville, each student participated in team building and volunteerism activities that introduced them to concepts such as:

These concepts were applied through a community service competition in which each team developed and implemented a local service project that impacted an area of need in their respective communities.  The community service projects were then presented by each team to a panel of outside judges at the AT&T-Tennessee Corporate Headquarters in Nashville on July 17.  At the conclusion of the presentations, the teams were awarded first place prizes, second place prizes, and honorable mention prizes based on the application of skills developed through participation in the program.

The 2010 Youth Leadership Initiative participants are:

"The leadership and activism of these students demonstrates the incredible spirit of volunteerism found throughout Tennessee," said Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey.  "These future leaders are setting the pace in our communities and serve as a model of excellence for each of us."

"AT&T Pioneers are proud of the achievements of these young people," said Carolyn Harris, President – Tennessee Chapter of AT&T Pioneers.  "Our goal with the Youth Leadership Initiative is to plant a seed in young people with the hope that they will spark community activism and volunteerism through their leadership."

AT&T Pioneers is a network of 325,000 active and retired AT&T employees who been volunteering for nearly 100 years to effect immediate, tangible change in local communities in partnership with AT&T.  The Tennessee Chapter of AT&T Pioneers consists of 8,826 Pioneers who reported 104,306 volunteer hours in 2009.

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About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services, the nation's fastest 3G network and the best wireless coverage worldwide, and the nation's leading high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of their three-screen integration strategy, AT&T operating companies are expanding their TV entertainment offerings. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

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SOURCE AT&T Pioneers