LibertyLEADS Leadership Program

Our leadership programs serve the needs of a remarkably diverse group of 300 young people in seventh through twelfth grades. Our leadership programs emphasize and build upon the strengths and assets of young people. Students come to us with enormous cultural and personal capital, although they come from communities that have historically not been afforded opportunities and often lack appropriate role models and leadership figures.

The High School Leadership program focuses on developing and building skills to increase all students‚ capacity to become effective and responsible leaders, assume leadership positions, and become productive contributors to their communities. The Adventure Based Counseling program and High School Leadership program are designed to provide young people with a rich variety of challenging activities and learning experiences, and provide multiple avenues for meaningful involvement and membership. These include a variety of activities that promote understanding the self and others, interpersonal communication skills, group activities, bias awareness, research skills, multicultural sensitivity, decision-making, problem solving and organizational and presentation skills, and community service.

The program provides young people with "the opportunity to engage in activities that help them realize they have something to contribute to the group; the opportunity to work with diverse peers and adults to create projects, performances and presentations that receive accolades from their families and the larger community; and, finally, the opportunity to develop a vision of life‚s possibilities that, with commitment and persistence, are attainable" (Miller, 2003).