A+ Summer Leadership

We developed our summer leadership training programs around the premise that students should strive to be effective leaders who demonstrate excellence by their approach and by their accomplishment -- the kind of leaders that, by virtue of their ability to lead and superior service, will prompt a teacher to write them an uncommonly powerful letter of recommendation for college, or will justify having a teacher or even their peers consider nominating and advocating for that student for truly special awards and selective honors.

Our leadership-focused offerings have been constructed with the view that the most significant way to encourage students into earning and taking real future leadership roles is to develop the skills and capabilities that will enable students to speak up in class, solve problems creatively and to communicate with confidence. Ultimately we strive to have each student demonstrably improve from whatever level of ability they come with to camp - those who are strong leaders already should hone their skills and acquire new ones, and students who are just beginning to explore how they can put themselves on a leadership track should leave camp with a much clearer vision of what their personal next steps are, and improved skills that will allow them to begin their journey.

Enthusiasm for leadership is a universal goal of most leadership programs and camps, but it is in our view too low an accomplishment to be one of the primary goals of a leadership program, as most students come into the program enthusiastic to assume leadership roles and 'make a mark'. Education Unlimited®'s leadership programs go beyond promoting a general sense of enthusiasm for the idea of being a leader, and instead help students develop a sense of confidence and of perspective such that leadership is seen not as the exclusive goal in and of itself, but rather as a means to greater accomplishment in one's life, a tool for personal empowerment, and as a springboard to provide meaningful service to one's community.

High School Leadership Camp

Leadership skills are one of the most important traits that students will need to learn in order to be successful within any industry or profession, yet many of these skills are abstract and can be difficult to teach. Education Unlimited is proud to introduce a new camp that focuses on creating great leaders through three key areas of leadership development:

Knowing Yourself as a Leader

By understanding motives and personal values, students will be provided with a firm foundation to build the leadership skills that best suits their individual leadership style. Through personality and leadership self assessment tests, students will benefit from guided self-evaluation to determine the management style that best fits their leadership goals. As part of the self-assessment, we will also consider how to best communicate with other types of leaders.

Communicating with Others

Once students understand their leadership style and goals, they are then provided with the skills they will need to communicate that direction to others. Our communications studies will cover presentation skills, meeting management and effective writing for the workplace. Each week of camp, students will:

Give a persuasive or informative presentation
Lead meetings with their peers
Write proposals and communicate to others with clarity and professionalism

Practical Hands-On Experience

Learn by doing. Weekly projects simulate entrepreneurial and community leadership from inception through planning to action. Each project includes budget and time management, delegation of responsibilities and effective teamwork. These projects may include:

Planning and implementing an event for a large student body
Development and implementing a marketing campaign for an upcoming event
Arranging and completing a community service project plan with an action plan for implementation
Developing and performing a community needs assessment, then creating a presentation of results and suggested actions

Middle School Leadership Camp

Our middle school session of A+ Summer Leadership encourages the development of leadership skills spanning the areas of communication, entrepreneurial thinking and project planning/small team leadership. Students will rotate through multiple classes daily, and the program will culminate in a capstone leadership project which allows students to apply the skills they learn throughout the week. Communication Skills and Entrepreneurial Thinking seminars are the cornerstones of the core curriculum, and in these two courses students will learn by doing, create project plans, and work on learning to present their plan to an audience with the goal of learning how to bring a project from the idea stage to actual implementation. The Project Planning and Small Team Leadership (supplemental learning time for overnight and extended day camp students) is a workshop period where students will further explore ideas presented in their two core seminars, learn theories of leadership, have time to develop their project ideas and flesh them out, and receive personalized assistance on their projects.

Communication Skills

Our communication skills unit instills confidence and develops effective interpersonal skills through fun and interactive public speaking exercises, such as campaign speeches, student congress, and negotiations. Students will develop multiple speeches and will practice speaking in public during each day of the program (all participants).

Entrepreneurial Thinking

Leaders need to think creatively, market their ideas, and work with limited resources. In this unit, students will develop their skills as leader-entrepreneurs through hands-on activities designed to encourage their skills as marketers and innovators. Example activities include: marketing campaign design, brainstorming methods, budgeting skills, and creative problem solving (all participants).

Project Planning and Small Team Leadership

Project management and small team management are fundamental skills of any leader. In this unit, students learn study skills, organization techniques and project management best practices, giving them a skill set that will help them in small group work in school and beyond. Students will also explore various leadership roles, including that of project steward, manager, coach, and more (overnight and extended day participants).

A few words from our A+ Summer Leadership Campers!

Would I recommend this camp to a friend? YES, YES, AND YES! it is a very fun summer camp and a great experience. This was my 3rd week in a row with Education Unlimited, and while I loved every week, I’m especially glad for this week because it made me realize that anyone can be a leader if they put their mind to it! — Camille A., participant

I learned a lot about not only being a leader but being an entrepreneur. I made a lot of new friends and got a new outlook on life. I expected it to be a camp that takes you out of your comfort zone, and it did. — Imran T., participant

I didn’t want to come to this camp at first (it was my parents’ idea), but I really loved the experience. I’m more confident in my leadership and communication skills than I was at the beginning of camp, and the camp changed my perception of leadership and allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone. The director and instructors get an A+++! — Emma L., participant

Everyone on staff was really nice and they were always willing to go out of their way to make our camp experience memorable. The curriculum was really good and concise. I've learned a lot within my week here -- I think that I've conquered the fear of public speaking during this course because we were constantly presenting. I believe this will definitely help with my leadership skills. — Sheanna, participant

Looking for a more cultural experience for the summer? Check out Summer Focus Enrichment: Leadership for a unique combination of curriculum, Bay Area excursions, and college life.