LEAP empowers young people by teaching them leadership skills and positive character traits. LEAP is a program that develops lasting friendships between high school students (mentors) and elementary students at-risk. 

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• It offers high school mentors excellent leadership training and character education in action in the real world of their community. The program is student-driven, planned, organized and implemented by the high school mentors with faculty supervision.

• It benefits elementary students by helping them in the development of their interaction and people skills, conflict resolution skills, goal setting and action planning -- all leading to an increased awareness of good citizenship traits.

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"The change of one simple behavior can affect other behaviors and thus change many things." --Jean Bauer

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LEAP is a highly structured program of mentorship that allows for a great deal of flexibility in its implementation. While the components of the program are structured, the content of the components remains flexible. The mentorship connection between older and younger students is structured, but the age levels of that connection remain flexible. It is the flexibility of the LEAP program that permits it to be tailor-made to fit the specific needs of a school district, a school or a youth organization while maintaining the planned structure.

LEAP is a student-driven organization. The older student mentors are responsible for all aspects of planning, organizing and implementing a monthly Activity Program for the younger students. In addition, the mentors make weekly one-on-one contacts with their younger friends by telephone, written communication or e-mail.

Each monthly Activity Program lasts about an hour and a half. It includes the following components planned around a central theme such as a life skill or a character trait: Ice Breaker; Teaching/Action Activity; Reflective/Sharing Time; Refreshments.

Membership:

• Older students who have been recognized as Young Achievers and other student leaders may be invited to serve on a LEAP Board

• Additional older students may be recruited by the LEAP Board to serve as mentors

• Younger socially at-risk students are identified by their classroom teachers and school administrators

Mentor Criteria:

• Good role models

• Good school citizens

• Students willing to make a commitment to the younger students for the duration of the program

A step-by-step Manual has been written detailing the necessary steps for implementing a LEAP program.

One-day workshops for students, educators
and youth organization leaders are available.

Click here for LEAP history/testimonials