KidLead

KidLead Program Curriculum

 “The Sweet Sixteen”

KidLead curriculum focuses on the 16 most important leadership qualities desired in leaders, based on a compilation of research, including the Center for Creative Leadership, Harvard Business Review, and literature review by Dr. Alan Nelson. These 16 qualities are typically taught in 4 eight-week modules. Each module can stand alone, allowing participants to join at any time in the process, with the goal of going through all four modules in two years (one module spring and fall per year). Graduates are then allowed to attend refresher courses if they are within the age boundaries (10-14), and after that as peer mentors if approved by the trainers.

The 16 qualities fall naturally into 8 character issues and 8 competency skills. Character issues are divided into two sub-themes: attitudes and values. Competency skills are divided into two sub-themes: relationships and decisions. Each module is titled by a color: red, blue, green, and orange. Each module includes 12-hours of accelerated learning methods, to teach 4 of the 16 qualities.  Following are the four value, attitude, relationship, and decision sub-themes in the respective module colors in which they occur.

      
Values:

• Ethics (what it means to have high moral, internal standards)
• Integrity (what it means to be honest and internally whole)
• Responsible (what it means to be dependable, taking ownership)
• Commitment (what it means to be dedicated and persevere)

Attitudes:

• Honor (what it means to esteem people and value them)
• Confidence (what it means to exude faith, take risks)
• Servanthood (what it means to be humble and put the team first)
• Optimism (what it means to be hopeful in stressful situations)

Relationships:

• Communication (how to get your message to others)
• Recruit (how to get people on your team and in the right positions)
• Team (how to create unity and focus in your team)
• Conflict (how to diffuse potentially destructive emotions)

Decisions:

• Power (how to get it and use it appropriately for good)
• Vision (how to decide direction and say it in a way that inspires others)
• Strategy (how to get to the goal the best way)
• Change (how to make transitions effectively)

Participants receive these materials and more in addition to over 50 hours of live training.  That's nearly 100 leadership experiences by the time of completion.  No other youth training program comes close to the concentrated active learning curriculum of KidLead. 

Following are the contents taught in each module:

Red Module

• Sessions 1 & 2: Value: Ethics (what it means to have high moral, internal standards)
• Sessions 3 & 4: Attitude: Honor (what it means to esteem people and value them)
• Sessions 5 & 6: Relationship: Communication (how to get your message to others)
• Sessions 7 & 8: Decision: Power (how to get it and use it appropriately for good)

Blue Module

• Sessions 1 & 2: Value: Integrity (what it means to be honest and internally whole)
• Sessions 3 & 4: Attitude: Confidence (what it means to exude faith, take risks)
• Sessions 5 & 6: Relationship: Recruit (how to get people on your team and in the right positions)
• Sessions 7 & 8: Decision: Vision (how to decide direction and say it in a way that inspires others)

Green Module

• Sessions 1 & 2: Value: Responsible (what it means to be dependable, taking ownership)
• Sessions 3 & 4: Attitude: Servanthood (what it means to be humble and put the team first)
• Sessions 5 & 6: Relationship: Team (how to create unity and focus in your team)
• Sessions 7 & 8: Decision: Strategy (how to get to the goal the best way)

Orange Module

• Sessions 1 & 2: Value: Commitment (what it means to be dedicated and persevere)
• Sessions 3 & 4: Attitude: Optimism (what it means to be hopeful in stressful situations)
• Sessions 5 & 6: Relationship: Conflict (how to diffuse potentially destructive emotions)
• Sessions 7 & 8: Decision: Change (how to make transitions effectively)

LeadNow & LeadWell

The content designed for 10-13 year olds is referred to as:

The content designed for 14-18 year olds is called:

Format/Methodology:

The curriculum is active learning based, which makes it fun, concrete, practical, and maximizes learning retention.  A typical club session includes a cognitive activity, micro-motor skill activity, macro-motor skill activity, sign language for kinesthetic learning, and media suggestion that connects pop culture to leadership while illustrating a key concept.  Trained Koaches provide feedback and facilitate discussion Socratically, without lecturing or taking over.  In addition, the club format includes an at-home activity called the Leadership Challenge. This typically requires 15-20 minutes, reinforces the theme of the previous lesson, and allows the young leader's parent or guardian to observe his or her child’s learning.

Leadership Project:

We encourage clubs to organize teams of young leaders to participate in real world projects that provide service for the community and/or the host organization.  This is a wonderful way of practicing the skills they learn and use during the club meetings, as well as demonstrating to adults that they can lead, even as youth.  You can see what a few of our future leaders have accomplished on the Leadership Project page in this website menu. 

LeadNow & LeadWell Alumna:

A young leader completing 1-3 modules is referred to as a "grad."  After a young leader has completed all four modules, s/he becomes an "alumna," who may then attend modules as a peer leader. Graduates permanently become a part of a national alumni list, which they can use for networking, referral, and continuing development.