The Leadership Institute at Harvard College

The Social Outreach (SO) committee works to instill in youth the requisite values, skills and confidence to be leaders and accomplish positive change in their schools, communities, and the world.

The Leadership Institute has partnered with Citizen Schools to develop a leadership program to be taught in middle schools across the country. Combining the resources of the Leadership Institute and Harvard students, faculty, and staff with the outreach infrastructure of Citizen Schools, this program aims to bring a high-level of leadership awareness to at-risk middle school students. Currently, we deliver our leadership curriculum to  middle school students each Tuesday from 2-4pm at the Edwards School in Charlestown.

Our work is guided by three core objectives:

1. To reinforce in young people’s minds that they have the ability to lead and to help them realize their own potential
2. To build a powerful pool of leaders among minority groups that will ensure that their communities have effective agents of development
3. To increase high school and university graduation rates among students from low-income areas.

The curriculum is being created as one of the Citizen Schools ‘“apprenticeships,” which engage volunteer “citizen teachers” such as professionals from business and civic organizations to teach their expertise to students. The long-term goal of the program is dissemination through Citizen Schools’ national network.

Please check our LIHC Social Outreach blog here.

Our 10-week apprenticeship features:

Week 1: What is Leadership?
Week 2: The different types of Leadership
Week 3: Reflection, Mission and Vision
Week 4: Effective Communication
Week 5: Creating and Motivating a Team
Week 6: Organization and Time Management
Week 7: Speech-Making and Receiving Feedback
Week 8: Conflict Resolution
Week 9: Social Responsibility and Servant Leadership
Week 10: Getting Ready for final WOW!

About Citizen Schools

Founded in 1995, Citizen Schools is an education nonprofit dedicated to fostering the academic and leadership growth of low-income children across the country. It currently operates a growing national network of after-school programs covering 44 sites in 7 states that serve about 3,800 middle school students and engage approximately 3,200 volunteers. 91% of its students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch.

Curriculum Development

Harvard undergraduates created the curriculum with guidance from Citizen Schools staff and Harvard faculty, including:

• David Ager, Lecturer on Sociology

• Richard Hackman, Edgar Pierce Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology

• Stacey Childress, Lecturer in General Management at Harvard Business School and Co-Founder of the Public Education Leadership Project at Harvard University