The Meetinghouse
602 – 605 Ridgebury Rd.
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Phone (203) 748-2806
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday – Thursday 2 – 4 PM
or by appointment
Event Series:
Youth Leadership Initiative
Youth Leadership Initiative
July 8 @ 9:00 am - 3:00 pm EDT
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).
Related Events
The Youth Leadership Initiative is a program designed to help teenagers become future Global Leaders
Application due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30
The Youth Leadership Initiative for rising 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury
Are you a rising 12th grader from Ridgefield or Danbury?
Are you ready to tap into your power as a change leader?
To collaborate across diverse communities?
To shape a future in which people and planet can flourish?
When
July 8 – 26, 2024
from 9 am – 3 pm
Monday – Friday
What is the Cost?
This program is free!
The Youth Leadership Initiative is sponsored by the State of Connecticut.
What do you do in the youth leadership initiative?
The Meetinghouse Youth Leadership Initiative is a three-week-long immersive experience for rising Seniors from Danbury and Ridgefield, who are passionate about making a difference in the world and having an impact on local and global issues. Drawing from the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (1, see About Theory & Process on page 2), the program approaches leadership across three dimensions: individual, group, and societal. Using the process drawn from the MIT Presencing Institute (2) and Appreciative Inquiry (3), the students will host a Community Summit or design a Social Action Project. Through this journey, students will learn to foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement, as they develop the skills and knowledge to enact social change on a community level.
Program Highlights
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable, justice-oriented citizenship
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community government, organizations, and purpose-driven businesses
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders • Host a Community Summit or lead a social action project to address a pressing social issue
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Outcomes
Over the three-week deep dive, students will:
- Hands-on skills and foundational knowledge for sustainable civic engagement
- Direct opportunities to engage with local community organizations
- Inspiration and preparation to bring change and be active, engaged civic leaders
- Opportunity to address a pressing social issue through either a local summit or impact project
- Leadership development and networking opportunities
- A community of peers who value civic engagement and community leadership
Program Design
Week One
This program will combine study of leadership theory, fieldwork, skill-building, and opportunities for reflection with deeper exploration of civic life. The first week will introduce a social change framework and explore social challenges and opportunities across Danbury, Ridgefield and Fairfield County.
Week Two
In week two, students will apply what they are learning as they engage the 7Cs of the Social Leadership Model. Related community organization visits, community field trips, guest speakers and interactive discussions will accompany study of social action leadership to provide students with a wide range of exposure to the many ways they can work together to create impact. They will engage the Appreciative Inquiry process, through which they will define, discover, dream, and begin to design a Community Summit around a topic of their choice.
Week Three
The students will complete the design and host a community summit or implement their social action project! There will be an after-action review to capture learnings and follow-up commitments. The initiative will close with a celebration!
Closing Ceremony
The initiative will close with students sharing their Community Summit Learnings and celebrate all that they’ve accomplished over the two weeks with community leaders and their families. Parents and/or guardians will be invited to attend the Closing Ceremony. The Ceremony will occur on the evening of the program.
Where are the Youth Leadership Initiative meetings?
We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.
Address:
The Meetinghouse
602 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong and become.
The Team
The Core Team
- Deborah Rundlett, director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice and change leadership.
- Heather Cochrane, Environmentalist in Residence. Heather was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology teacher for many years. She serves as the Environmentalist in Residence with oversight of the wetlands restoration and extension of the pollinator pathway.
- Holli Levy, Artist in Residence
- Claire Walker Moffatt, Heath & Wellbeing Resident
Social Action Leadership Voices from Across the Globe
- Gamelihle Sibanda, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, South Africa
- Damian Costello, Head of Life & Sciences, Expleo Group, Ireland
Application Process
(due 5/15; announcement of cohort by 5/30)
- Short statement of interest (500 words max)
- What are your three favorite things about yourself?
- When you think about leadership, what comes to mind?
- What made you apply to this leadership program?
- What would you like to accomplish during your time in this leadership program?
- What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?
- What questions do you have for us?
- Letter of recommendation (from a teacher, family friends, employer, someone who knows you well)
- Interview
Please send your completed application (including letter of recommendation) to Connect@Meetinghouse.life
For questions, please email or call Deborah Rundlett, director.
Download Flyer: Youth Leadership Initiative, Summer 2024
About the Theory & Process
1 The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute/HERI, 1996). This model was developed by a nationally recognized group of leadership researchers who wanted to encourage and support creation of programs for student leadership development. The resulting Social Change Model of Leadership Development approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, and values-based process that results in positive social change (Komives & Wagner, 2009).
2 The MIT Presencing Institute (https://presencinginstitute.org/). The Presencing Institute (PI) was founded to support individuals, groups, and organizations for moving transformational change in their own settings. Over the years PI has developed and offered ‘Theory U,’ a model and framework used by thousands of teams, organizations, and communities to more effectively address our most pressing global challenges, including: climate change, food systems, inequality and exclusion, finance, healthcare, and education (p. 1).
3 Appreciative Inquiry (https://www.centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/the-generic-processes-of-appreciative-inquiry-5ds/). Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an energizing and inclusive process that fosters creativity through the art of positive inquiry. It builds new skills in individuals and groups, develops new leaders, and helps create shared vision and purpose by building on an organization’s or community’s core values and strengths (p. 1).