Feb. 3—River Valley High School in Yuba City is the first school in the Yuba-Sutter area to introduce the Aspire to Inspire Leadership Development workshop to its students.

Backed by the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce in partnership with local schools, the program aims to teach "essential skills" that students will carry throughout their career and adult lives.

Through a series of 10 workshops, students dedicate time to understanding leadership qualities, teamwork, time management and good character. After starting on Jan. 12, River Valley High School will continue to hold these workshops every Thursday until April 27.

Marni Sanders, CEO of the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce, said that the chamber established a goal to start a workforce development program that aligned leadership qualities and essential skills with the needs of local businesses. She believes that these skills will propel student success in their careers and personal lives as they establish their plans after high school.

For River Valley students, attending these workshops will contribute to their Career Technical Education programs and expose them to career development opportunities.

"Essentially, we want you to take what you've learned in school and apply it to real-world, community situations," said Jana Collins, a CTE teacher and co-content lead.

Students who complete 10 hours of work-readiness seminars are able to advance to possible internships with participating businesses and later a mock interview with a panel of business representatives. Those who complete all these steps will receive a certificate of completion to present to possible employers.

Students are placed in an internship program prior to the mock interview to gain background knowledge of the workforce and build a better experience to reflect on during the interview process.

Several local businesses and organizations such as Hilbers, Inc., Judy Baldonado Bookkeeping, the city of Yuba City and Yuba City Unified School District offer internship or job shadowing opportunities for students in the work-readiness program.

CTE teacher and Co-Content Lead Anna O'Leary believes that taking the time to teach leadership and career skills will prepare students to be contributing members of the community.

"We have so many kids who stay within this community after high school. Showing them what to expect in the real world helps them move from childhood to adulthood," she said.

Leadership Trainer Karri Campbell leads students through each seminar. Thursday's workshop focused on the importance of good character and what it means to be virtuous. Following a presentation about different moral traits, students were asked to participate in a group exercise where they listed their good characteristics along with a negative trait and a plan to improve it.

"We live in a morally devoid world. ... Be the change you want to see and develop that moral virtue," he said.

Angela Baltazar, a senior at River Valley, attended her second workshop on Thursday. While she thought much of the material was common knowledge, she was grateful to have an opportunity to participate in the program.

"I thought that a lot of these essential skills were kind of common sense, but there's always something to learn. Some people don't know these things. The opportunity was given to me, so I might as well take it," Baltazar said.

She also believes that offering the program to middle schools would have a positive impact on young students.

Adan Villagonez, a junior attending his first workshop, said that the program reaffirmed his beliefs regarding good character.

"It was reassuring to hear what (Campbell) had to say about morals and knowing what's right and not right. I enjoyed listening to the importance of virtue, good character and why people succeed," he said.