Youth Rising
Our Youth Purpose Summit is a daylong workshop (or a 3-session virtual journey) that creates the space for middle and high school students to see themselves and others more clearly. Students explore the science of purpose, put words to their own natural gifts, share stories that matter, and draft a purpose statement. At the end of the experience, each student creates a “Purpose Map” of goals and actions around the purpose statement. Our Lower School Spark Journey is a similar experience designed for students in grades 4–6, and Middle School SPARK is appropriate for grades 7–8.
Research done by Stanford University’s Center on Adolescence shows that brief, immersive interventions can have a transformative impact on many students. Our goal is to help as many students as possible leave these experiences with new ideas about themselves and how they can take action for the greater good.
The Youth Purpose Summit is an adaptation of the Youth Action Accelerators organized by World Leadership School in New York City (Spring & Fall 2018), Doha (Fall 2019), Baltimore (Spring 2019), and Los Angeles (Summer 2020). World Leadership School prototyped the first virtual Youth Purpose Summit in June 2020 with 80 students from Norfolk Academy (Norfolk, VA). In a survey afterward, 77 percent of participating students agreed or strongly agreed with “I feel inspired to take action based on my purpose.” World Leadership School has since run either the Youth Purpose Summit or SPARK Journey in dozens of schools with thousands of students.
(These activities are for the Youth Purpose Summit only. Spark Journey has a different format for younger grades.)
Intro to Purpose – We learn about the theory of purpose, and how purpose helps students manage stress and be deeper learners. We also explore why a rapidly accelerating and interconnecting world is causing schools to take a deeper look at the role of purpose in learning and living.
Calling Cards – This fun and interactive exercise helps us articulate our unique gifts and how these gifts help us better understand our own unique identity.
Golden Thread – This storytelling activity allows us to explore our lives, while our listening partner helps us see patterns and articulate a purpose statement.
Purpose Mapping – We build a Purpose Map around our purpose statement, which includes daily practices, goals, and a personal “sounding board” to help us stay on track.
Each Youth Purpose Summit or SPARK Journey comes with a learning workbook, which can be customized in order to:
- Plug-in to an existing advisory program, in which case the workbook can be extended into a yearlong learning journal.
- Create a foundational experience that launches an ExTerm or other experiential week during the school year
- Integrate with a retreat experience that allows a class or division of students to explore big ideas, spark energy, and foster new relationships.
- Immerse teachers and students in storytelling in order to share inspiration and build community.
- Provide students with the time and space to explore their strengths and craft their stories for the college application process.
“This was a powerful way to kick off the school year. I know my students will carry this experience forward in their lives.”Hadley Zeavin, Assistant Head of School, La Jolla Country Day School
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Learn more
Student Video: Youth Action Accelerator with FRED Leadership – IESE Business School (NYC) in May 2018 – Bella
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Learn more
Student Video: Youth Action Accelerator – The Hewitt School (NYC) in November 2018 Video – Calum Wessman-Froese
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