Leadership at Brown
Brown Leadership Institute: Leadership Development for High School Students
Leadership at Brown courses are taught in Brown classrooms. Students live on campus and may participate in all co-curricular activities presented by the Summer@Brown program. Courses meet for 4.5 hours each day, and students participate in several evening programs to discuss current events and sharpen leadership skills.
Eligibility
Leadership courses are open to all high school students, from 9th graders through graduated seniors.
Note: The "Leadership for Social Change" course is open to students who have graduated from 10th, 11th or 12th grades, and have completed a Leadership Institute course, or otherwise demonstrate a deep commitment to social change through volunteer work or other forms of community engagement.
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Life On Campus – Leadership at Brown
Students live on campus, eat in Brown dining halls, and may participate in all co-curricular activities presented by the Summer@Brown program.
A Typical Day
Homework
You'll have between 1-2 hours of reading or other homework most days.
Leadership skills you will learn
- Identification and analysis of personal leadership style
- Interpersonal communication
- Public speaking
- Group problem solving
- Diversity and leadership
- Individual courses may teach additional skills like conflict mediation
Your Action Plan
Citizens share a civic responsibility to both understand complex social issues and apply what we know in service to others.
During your course, you will pick an issue that is important to you and develop an Action Plan. We encourage you to think about some topics before you come to campus, but most students don’t actually know what their action plan will be until they start working on it in class. Your instructors will help you design an action plan that fits your interests and skills.
Student Action Plans
Below are examples of Leadership Institute Student Action Plans:
Community
- Led or assisted with voter registration drives
- Organized a concert of Freedom Songs from the civil rights movement
- Created an art therapy program for adolescents with HIV
- Tutored middle school children to prepare them for high school
International
- Worked with administrators to strengthen curriculum on international issues
- Worked with school administrators to stop purchasing uniforms made in sweatshops
- Developed educational program focused on Darfur for entire high school
Environmental
- Developed composting systems or recycling programs
- Constructed a wind turbine at school
- Converted school buses to bio-diesel
- Converted light bulbs at school to CFLs
- Educated other students about alternative energy resources
- Eliminated Styrofoam in county buildings
Fundraising
- Raised funds to build schools in Pakistan
- Raised scholarship funds for young people to attend community colleges
- Raised funds for Heifer International
For more information on how we support students' action plans after the summer is over, please visit our Post Summer page.
For more information on how we support students' action plans after the summer is over, please visit our Post Summer page.
Closing Program
A closing program is held on the final Friday of the course. You will present your action plan to a small group of students and family members. It is an opportunity for your family and friends to hear what you’ve learned and what issues you hope to address in your community.