Leaders 4SC is a set of two week-long workshops for middle school students on leadership, communication, decision-making, and advocacy. Our goal is to train the next generation of civic leaders: members of a community who actively participate in society.
By the end of each week, students will have participated in three major projects:
Parents/Guardians will be able to follow along with all assignments and works through Google Classroom as the week progresses. We’ll also occasionally send parents email updates with the students’ work.
FYI: In the event of a unlikely cancellation either by us or by the government and/or building host due to any reason, we will honor a 100% refund for all participants. We would also provide an optional digital alternative to those who wished to participate.
Students may attend either or both of the weeks:
Writing Focus Week: July 6th to July 10th
Speaking Focus Week: July 13th to July 17th
We have a NYC location following this one.
Fees include lunch and supplies for the workshop.
The workshop will be held at Lesley University.
1200 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140.
Week 1: Writing Focus
The first week of the workshop focuses on students’ argumentative writing abilities. We will work with students on developing a persuasive and well-reasoned editorial (op-ed style) article on a topic of interest to them. Students will have the option to publish their written work on our site. We will also publish a physical magazine at the end of the workshop with all of the students’ written work. In the below curriculum schedule for Week 1, boxes in this color are for lectures pertaining to writing skills, while boxes in this color are group and individual work for developing those skills.
Week 2: Public Speaking Focus
The second week of the workshop focuses on students’ persuasive speaking abilities. Students will receive plenty of practice and instruction on best developing good public speaking habits and crafting a rhetorically powerful speech. Students will present their speeches to the whole group and also have the option to submit them to our podcast. In the below curriculum schedule for Week 2, boxes in this color are for lectures pertaining to speaking skills, while boxes in this color are group and individual work for developing those skills.
Both Weeks: Topic Discussions
Each day of the workshop students will start off by learning about and discussing a major current event. They will have the chance to discuss their thoughts with fellow classmates and then participate in a group activity that focuses on one particular aspect of the topic. Both weeks have different topics, but each week there is one topic that directly pertains to the students, one national topic, one global topic, one futuristic topic, and a national topic that pertains directly to students. In the below curriculum schedules, the topics are in this color, the topic discussions in this color, and the relevant activities in this color.
Both Weeks: Leaders 4SC Conference
Student leaders will get together to enact scenarios involving non-profit, government and private sectors to discuss solutions to societal problems. Students will come up with a joint plan to solve the issue through cooperation and debate. Students will gain essential skills to become effective leaders in society. Students will also gain important practical experience in business, NGO, and government sectors while they figure out how to drive real-world change. Students will be randomly grouped by our system into small groups to facilitate the discussions. Students will present to the entire group after discussion. Boxes in this color pertain to the conference.
Exit Tickets/Journal Entries/Extra Help/Homework Time
We have also scheduled in time at the end of each day to reinforce the day’s skills and content, give the students a chance to reflect on some of what they have learned, and to work on their projects in individual or group settings. This time will also be used for team-building activities. These activities are in this color below.
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