Ron Brown Scholar Program L.E.A.D Series (Leadership Enrichment & Academic Development Series)

The Ron Brown Scholar Program in collaboration with the University of Virginia’s Corcoran Department of History’s Explorations in Black Leadership; with resources made available by Verizon’s Thinkfinity and State Farm’s Service Learning Initiative is proud to offer the Ron Brown L.E.A.D. Series (formerly Read to Lead). Funded in part through a generous grant from the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, the goals of this curricular program are two-fold: to introduce students across the United States through the use of online standards-based curriculum and mentoring partnerships to the integrated concepts of leadership and service, and to provide student groups with the tools to develop a service project dedicated to the betterment of the community in which they live.

The L.E.A.D. Series is a leadership and service-centered curriculum for students. Participants have access to an online course platform through which five topic areas are covered: a.) Self-Awareness b.) Defining Leadership c.) Social Awareness and Influence d.) Citizenship and e.) Service. Each topic and the accompanying activities builds upon the previous, but can also stand alone. The online format allows rich interaction with video, webquests, and links to supplemental information including examples of service projects designed and completed by young people all over the country.

Additionally, this program seeks to encourage self-awareness and reflection, examine and discover individual strengths and weaknesses, instill concepts of goal-setting and attainment, examine leadership in the contexts of history and current events, help students in the understanding of and the positive manipulation of group dynamics, engage students in civic activity fostering an individual and group sense of responsibility toward and for community, and connect students with Ron Brown Scholar mentors.

Perhaps the most exciting piece of the course is the access participants will have to Ron Brown Scholars who volunteer to serve as web-based mentors when the students enter the community organizing and project design stage. Students will be inspired and encouraged by the history, Scholar stories, current events, examples and tools within the curriculum to design a project that will benefit their own local communities. The winning project may be eligible for Program support for implementation. In addition to the online format, a hard copy workbook designed to reach teachers and students who may not have access to internet capabilities will be available.

Goals of the Course:

• To encourage self-awareness and reflection
• Examine and discover individual strengths and weaknesses
• Instill concepts of goal-setting and attainment
• Define and foster individual and group achievement
• Examine leadership in the contexts of historical and current events
• Assist students in the understanding of and the positive manipulation of group dynamics
• To actively engage students in civic activity
• Foster an individual and group sense of responsibility toward and for community
• Connect students with Ron Brown Scholar Mentors
• Assist students in identifying community needs and resources
• Facilitate the creation of student-initiated/driven service project plans

Outcomes:

• Implementation of a meaningful service project
• Recognition of the relationship between leadership and service
• Strength and self-confidence in individual abilities consistent with leadership and achievement
• Strong connection and commitment to community and others

Interested? Want to get involved? ---  The course is currently being piloted in Virginia, but if you would like more information about the curriculum for your students and/or school, please contact Jill Urquhart at jurquhart@ronbrown.org.

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