By Rick Abercrombie
Tim Behling, CEO and Founder of Successteam Leadership Academy, spoke recently to the Optimist Club of St. Andrews-Irmo.
Behling’s presentation familiarized Optimists with the organization’s role for 10 years in Aiken and served to announce plans to establish a location in Columbia. The Aiken academy meets at Aiken Tech, and Columbia College appears to be the future site here.
Successteam exists to assure that young people gain awareness of what lies ahead in their next steps after high school, and it equips those same youth to greet the challenges with a clear head and a heart full of motivation.
Behling described the process as “bridging the gap between our youth’s curiosity and their realization.”
The Successteam approach focuses on a variety of next steps for its clients, be they four- year college, two-year community college, trade school, military, or the start of an entrepreneurial path.
- Elements of each student’s activity include:
- Leadership development
- College readiness
- Career readiness
- Biweekly mentoring sessions
- Scholarship eligibility
- Volunteer hours
- Financial literacy
- Public speaking
- Relationships and team building
The three step continuum that Successteam students progress through are: beginning life as a new candidate; rising to the level of its Youth Council; and ultimately joining others in the Alumni Association.
Behling focused primarily on the activity of the Youth Council in which students who have undergone instruction and mentorship from their peers then rise to become mentors themselves to newer candidates.
Successteam was recognized in 2023 as the Nonprofit of the Year by Columbia County (Ga.) Chamber. One community service project that gained traction and visibility is a back-to-school bookbag drive that supplies students with the essentials for beginning a school year. That campaign, begun 10 years ago, has supplied more than 8,000 backpacks and has impacted over 85 schools in the CSRA.
