Harmony Plus Future Leader Academy: A Leadership Program Co-Developed by Students

Abstract

What is the general purpose of leadership education? The answer may be based on who receives such an education. In this case, the students were high schoolers in both the US and Canada enrolled in a special series of online workshops designed to generate a new leadership development model. This article traces the experience of five very gifted students, two teaching assistants, and a visiting professor as they collaborate in designing and learning through a student-centered process. The model originated via the ideas, discussions, and assignment efforts of the students themselves. Each workshop built on previous experience beginning with an assessment of the student’s well-being. Successive workshops in the series (5) formed a working model that is presented in this article. Students then contributed their assignments to a web-based portfolio to utilize in the future.