Scott Chevalier

The younger generation weighs heavily on Scott Chevalier’s heart. 

Scott has been a youth pastor, youth evangelist and lead pastor who has spoken all over the United States. 

At most speaking engagements, he opens with Herbert Hoovers’s quote, “Our youth are the nation’s most priceless national asset.”

Since founding Powerhouse Youth Project in 1994, he’s served on the front lines as executive director, providing practical tools and guidance to help students discover their purpose.

Originally from Ohio, Scott attended college in Nashville where he met his wife Valerie. After calling Nashville home for 32 years, the family relocated to Central Florida in 2017; their daughter Peyton wanted to move to Florida after high school. 

Powerhouse Youth Project, named Lake County Nonprofit of the year in 2024, is dedicated to empowering the next generation by giving them a “pathway to purpose” through practical workshops, guidance from mentors and networking opportunities.

“It’s not enough to say what you want to do. Students need a plan and a pathway to accomplish it. They’re creating habits for a lifestyle and if you don’t learn to change them now, those habits will transfer to after graduation,” Scott says.

“In Florida, there are 274,000 16- to 24-year-olds who are not employed and not in school. When we ask what they’re doing, they’re living in their parents’ homes and playing video games. Many juniors and seniors don’t have a driver license and think it’s normal that they don’t. Kids have lost motivation about the identity and value of work,” he notes.

Scott acknowledges that mental health is a huge factor and he aches for teens who are basically raising themselves with little or no parental support.

Despite grim statistics, success stories give Scott hope. For example, Powerhouse Youth Project recently helped a 16-year-old Leesburg student start his own mobile auto detailing business.

The program emphasizes core truths such as “Every choice will cost you something.”

Scott is committed to helping young people form wise habits so they can realize their potential and pursue it. 

“I want them to have direction, to know their next step after getting that diploma,” he says.

www.powerhouse.org