Summit Leadership is a nationally recognized youth leadership and character education program. Over the course of several months, students meet weekly to learn skills such as developing positive attitudes, dealing with peer pressure and leading others. They evaluate what they have accomplished and want to accomplish in six areas of personal development - health, career, family, spiritual, social and physical.
Following the personal evaluation, the students focus on their strengths before establishing personal goals for improvement, both in the short and long term. Each student learns to establish SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistically high and Time specific. After stating their goals in writing they break down the steps to achieve the goals, examining obstacles, solutions and resources they may need to achieve the goals.
At the core of the program is the belief that attitudes directly determine...
- whether a young person turns a problem into an opportunity or succumbs to it;
- whether they behave in ways that benefit others or remain self absorbed;
- whether they consciously expand the use of there potential or allow atrophy to set in;
- whether they diligently look for continuous growth and improvement opportunities or remain satisfied with the status quo.
Interpersonal skills when combined with increased knowledge and goal setting behavior enhance the ability of youth to assess the impact their present behavior has on their existing and future success. The end result is that young people tra
nsform beyond the traditional approach to learning, and start applying "knowledge" therefore taking control of their own destiny."
