Based on the belief that our City needs the active, knowledgeable participation of its youth in key educational decisions, Exploring Leadership cultivates within young people the potential to become civic leaders in their local school communities and beyond. EL’s Youth Ambassadors use the lens of education policy to learn how NYC addresses social problems and how they, as young people, can help tackle these problems.

During the summer, the Youth Ambassadors participate full-time. They are introduced to the world of education policy and reform and immersed in leadership skill development. During the school year, the Youth Ambassadors apply what they have learned to take action on education policy issues that affect their schools. Recent issues have included school safety, high-stakes testing, and school finance. The young people plan and implement three civic leadership projects: a community assessment, a series of peer education workshops, and a community action project.

Summer: Issue Immersion and Leadership Development

During the summer, the Youth Ambassadors:

• Participate in an internship at a New York City educational organization.
• Interview key leaders across all sectors working to affect change in public education.
• Learn leadership skills and explore education policy issues.

Check out agendas from interview days (pdfs): School Safety | High Stakes Testing

Fall: Assessing Community Impact and Peer Education

During the fall, the Youth Ambassadors: 

• Develop and administer surveys to learn how a specific education issue affects their schools.
• Create and deliver peer education workshops about the issue to their school communities.

Spring: Community Action

During the spring, the Youth Ambassadors:

• Design a community action project to address their chosen educational issue.
• Organize 25% of their school communities to help implement the project.
• Develop and present recommendations to elected officials and community leaders.

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