Young Leaders Program will be held

TBD at

Willamette University

The Program

Young Leaders Program is a fun and modern way to learn the skills and traits of 21st Century Leadership.

A Program Tailored to Your Interests!

At Young Leaders Program you don't just learn about leadership, but you also get to learn about leadership is specific fields of occupation.  These fields include:

• Governance and Public Service
• Business & Commerce
• Law Enforcement
• Law & Litigation
• Media & Journalism
• ​and more!

Gamify your Learning Experience

 The Young Leaders Program employs simulated learning as one of the primary methods of delivering content.  Additionally, students are able to employ problem analysis, evaluation, and creation within the simulation. Blooms Taxonomy places simulation-based learning within the “synthesis” level of the cognitive domain related to creation, invention, experimentation and play.   This simulation is not a "mock" program, but an actual, interactive simulated world played out by students during the program like a game.
Other instructional methodologies include:

• Speakers
• Direct Instruction
• Workshops
• Discussion and Debate
• Hands on Activities
• Field Trips

All content is aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

Come Back Year after Year!

Students are able to return each year to the program.  Due to the multi-year nature of the program, students are divided into three groups, based on the number of years of attendance.  All students attend at the same time and location, but receive differentiated programming based on their experience within the program.

• Year One:  Students during their first year of attendance at Young Leaders Program are called “citizens” and treated a special curriculum.  They begin in a simulated version of the United States, focusing on the realities that citizens confront daily, including local, state, and national policy.  They receive a specialized first-year curriculum of leadership classes and engage in the program in a prescribed method designed to ensure rapid assimilation to the program.
• Years Two-Three:  Students who return to the program for additional years are referred to as “Statesmen” or “Stateswomen” and may branch out and explore the rest of the micro-nation simulation.  They can attempt to emigrate to one of the other simulated countries and explore different laws and economic realities.  They also enjoy greater leadership opportunities and can access higher levels of academic challenge through advanced coursework.  
• Year Four:  Students who have attended three years may attend a fourth year as “Senior Citizens.”  These students enjoy special recognition within the program and enjoy a very high level of access throughout the program.  
  Senior Citizens are also prime candidates to return to the program after graduation as staff!  They represent a stable and knowledgable group of individuals within the program.

Location

Young Leaders Program is held at Willamette University.
​900 State Street, Salem, Oregon 97301

Schedule

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"Sandbox" Learning

​As part of the simulation, staff employ a “sandbox” paradigm of instruction.  The sandbox concept allows students to explore and try new things without risk of permanent consequences.  This allows a degree of risk-taking that cannot occur in the real world. 
For example, how might the passage of a new tax, or a particular law or ordinance affect the population?  By allowing students free reign to explore and try new things, they can discover the potential consequence of their actions.  That new tax might result in public outcry, or negative press coverage by the media. 
​Within the simulation, students themselves are creating legislation, enforcing laws, enacting rules for departments and learning how all of these variables create an interplay that mimics reality. The critical element of the sandbox simulation is that students' actions have immediate effects and carry on through the future in subsequent years.

Apply to Attend

Young Leaders program promotes civic engagement,
develops leadership skills,
and empowers the next generation of leaders.

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