Building future community leaders is a fundamental role for any business organization.  And understanding the citizenship responsibilities that a strong democracy requires is an important part of leadership. With that goal in mind, Geneva Lake West Chamber of Commerce (GLWCC) has established an internship program to support and encourage high school sophomores and/or juniors to spend a summer auditing board and committee meetings of our GLWCC, local municipal, county, and school governments.  By attending a wide variety of these decision making bodies, candidates will garner an overall understanding of the process of governing as well as the hard work and responsibilities of our locally elected leaders and businesses.

Each year, GLWCC will work locally with Big Foot Union High School and Williams Bay High School leadership organizations to select six individuals to participate in our internship program.  Three will be from Big Foot and three from Williams Bay.  Once selected, the interns will be assigned two advisers.  One adviser will be from the local educators and one will be from the local government officials. There will be a total of four advisers, two from the Big Foot area and two from Williams Bay. The students will complete a series of requirements April through September including attending public meetings, volunteering for chamber events, attending board meetings, and giving 4 presentations at the end of their term. Upon completion of the program, they receive $500 each and a Certificate of Completion. Not only does this program offer a paid internship, but the experience gained through participating, paves the way for success in their future endeavors.