YE supports young people to be responsible leaders. Being responsible requires skills, knowledge, and a deepened understanding of oneself and the contexts in which one lives and grows. The leadership retreats, workshops, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts, Engineering) programs encourage skill and knowledge building around three areas, all common to diverse styles of leadership.
YOUTH LEADERSHIP takes many names and forms: youth voice, youth participation, youth community engagement, youth decision making, and youth empowerment, among others.
YE is designed to improve the likelihood that youth will engage in their growth and in their communities in meaningful and authentic ways. For young people, the more possibilities that seem open to them, the better their chances of finding an appropriate leadership style of their own. While YE focuses on youth as leaders, it is ultimately about creating lasting social change.
Leadership development is not an end but a means to participate in and create a more just and equitable community in which youth are valued and have the opportunity to make meaningful contributions – now and throughout their adult lives.
Young Echelon offers a cohort-style, 4-year high school STEAM Leadership program that will support youth through their high school journey, help them to blaze their trail, and reach new heights.
The STEAM Leadership Cohort program is structured as follows: