Lighthouse Leadership Institute

Mission

The mission of the Lighthouse Leadership Institute program is to primarily guide and empower youths; to uncover their strengths, build resilient character, and be a leader with purpose. Through mentorship, life skills education, and emotional wellness development: we inspire young people to grow into confident, compassionate leaders who illuminate the path for others in their schools, families, and communities.

Details

Target group and focus:

• The primary age range for this program is seven to 15; divided up by the three schools (McKinley, Eisenhower, and the Middle school): 7-9, 10-11, and 11-15 (second grade through eighth grade).
• To recognize pressures, mental health challenges, and overall impact of youth’s lives
• To assist in development for a more resilient, confident, and a healthier future
• Assist in developing social, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral skills
• Explore identities: through conflict resolution, empowerment, and instilling leadership qualities
• Assist in developing critical thinking, personalities, and self-advocacy.

Impact and Benefits:

• Youths gain life skills through experience and empowerment from others (who have experience)
• Lessons help youths increase their social, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral traits
• Guidance helps build resilience, trust, and a healthy future
• Mentoring helps connect the schools, community, to give them a purpose, as well as teach it
• Fosters empowerment so the youths feel capable, dependent, heard/seen, and valued within our community
• Local involvement and class setting helps youths participate regularly and connect all within the community
• Promotes future positive outcomes and/or business opportunities/ partnership and future promotional avenues
• Helps with volunteer community service hours

Program Model and Overview:

• A one-hour session every two weeks (bi-monthly) at each location (school facility, rec facility, or business location) on different days of the week (Tuesday: McKinley, Wednesday: Middle School, Thursday: Eisenhower). [Subject to Change]
• Age specific lesson plans and objectives
• Mentors/ guest speakers from local community will help instruct leadership and teamwork, emotional wellness, career awareness (skill building), and community service
• Needing volunteers from the schools, businesses, and other community involvement
• Projects throughout the program, with a capstone and “graduation” for 8^th graders upon completion of the program
• Measurement of progress/ improvement

Positive Role Models and Mentorship:

Parents, coaches, teachers, and older students, can provide a foundational guidance that helps shape attitudes, values, and decisions. Youth exposure to this diverse positive influence, helps youths develop confidence, resilience, and ethical decision-making. Here are positive ways to provide more and help the youth of our community:

• Understand the digital pressures and mental health challenges youth face, help them navigate digital communication
• Celebrate diversity, individuality, and creativity
• Promote responsibility, positive behavior, and healthy relationships
• Develop self-minded goals that eliminate outside influences
• Encourage problem solving, curiosity, adaptability, and making mistakes/failing (how we learn)
• Build perseverance, confidence, and valuing the small wins or gains
• Empower risk-taking, self-reflection, and goal-setting strategies that encourages exploration of oneself
• Identify emotional intelligence to help recognize and manage reactions to others
• Promote empathy, active listening, and social awareness to cultivate compassion
• Identify emotions, feelings, and basic cooperative skills to provide a base for conflict resolution
• Encourage physical, mental, and emotional well-being through physical activity, nutrition/hydration, and self-care
• Introduce independent routines for sleep, wellness, and health strategies (all aspects)
• Prepare youths for adulthood, independency, and career path
  • Entrepreneur and business opportunities through teamwork, cooperation, and communication
  • Exposure to career paths, innovations, and community engagement
  • Empower leadership
• Engage through gamification
  • Game based challenges, rewards, progress tracking
  • Instill a sense of belonging by reinforcing participation and skill development
  • Leaderboard mentality for healthy competition
  • Cooperative games with a point system, and goal-oriented challenges to promote healthy environment and adequate losing techniques
• Strengthen a sense of purpose to youths by showcasing leader initiatives, planning, and community involvement tasks or opportunities
• Instill understanding of money: saving, spending, needs/wants, and adult expenditures

Program Goals:

• Provide a safe space(s) for positive mindset and structural improvement
  • Through trust, mentorship, guidance, consistency, and encouragement
• Strength based, student led activities
  • Encourage feedback and creativity through discussion and journaling
• Model and teach emotional intelligence
  • Discuss empathy
  • Use real-life scenarios
• Connect identity to self-purpose
  • Reflection and feedback
  • Leadership projects
  • Community project
• Provide mentorship through positive role modeling
  • Build relationships
  • Mentorship mentality
• Encourage storytelling and self-reflection
  • Celebrate the journey
• Affirm belongings
  • Honor traditions, as well as promote new ones
• Challenge decision-making
  • Set goals, rules, and leadership qualities to be demonstrated every day
  • Practice making positive life affecting choices
• Promote growth through empowerment and leadership
  • Influence acts/ traits
• Celebrate progress and presentations
  • Award ceremony
  • Capstone/ community service project

Business Skills Curriculum Guide and Ideas

Foundational / Everyday Knowledge Industries

Introduce basic life skills, personal responsibility, teamwork, and early career awareness.

• Childcare / Early Education – Teaching, empathy, care
  • 7–9: Storytime, craft for younger children
  • 10–12: Plan educational activity
  • 13–15: Lead small group learning session
• Grocery / Retail – Customer service, organization
  • 7–9: Sorting items, store scavenger hunt
  • 10–12: Cash register simulation, stock shelves
  • 13–15: Inventory project, product placement challenge
• Food Services / Hospitality – Culinary skills, teamwork
  • 7–9: Simple recipes, kitchen safety
  • 10–12: Cook full dish, teamwork challenge
  • 13–15: Menu planning, hosting mini-event
• Fitness / Sports – Health, teamwork, discipline
  • 7–9: Fun fitness games
  • 10–12: Team drills, coordination
  • 13–15: Leadership in sports, fitness challenge
• Nonprofit / Community Services – Empathy, leadership
  • 7–9: Simple volunteer tasks
  • 10–12: Assist community projects
  • 13–15: Lead volunteer project, event planning
• Cleaning / Janitorial Services – Organization, efficiency
  • 7–9: Cleaning games, teamwork
  • 10–12: Organize space challenge
  • 13–15: Lead small cleaning/organization project
• Arts / Design / Fashion – Creativity, self-expression
  • 7–9: Coloring, simple crafts
  • 10–12: Painting, beginner design projects
  • 13–15: Fashion design, digital arts, collaborative project
• Crafts / Handmade Products – Creativity, entrepreneurship
  • 7–9: Simple craft project
  • 10–12: Design and make products
  • 13–15: Sell or display project, marketing plan
• Hospitality / Tourism – Customer service, teamwork
  • 7–9: Role-play greeting guests
  • 10–12: Mini event planning
  • 13–15: Lead tour, organize small event

Service-Oriented / Business Awareness Industries

Introduce teamwork, basic technical skills, problem-solving, and business literacy.

• Marketing / Advertising – Creativity, communication
  • 7–9: Poster design, slogan games
  • 10–12: Ad creation, branding basics
  • 13–15: Marketing campaign project, social media simulation
• Finance / Banking – Money management, budgeting
  • 7–9: Coin/bill games, saving jars
  • 10–12: Mock bank transactions, budgeting activity
  • 13–15: Financial planning project, intro to investing
• Legal / Law Firms – Civic knowledge, problem-solving
  • 7–9: Learn about rules and fairness
  • 10–12: Mock courtroom, law basics
  • 13–15: Debate, mock trial, legal case study
• Real Estate / Property management – Negotiation, budgeting
  • 7–9: Tour properties, identify rooms
  • 10–12: Renting vs buying, property management basics
  • 13–15: Real estate project, investment overview
• Media / Journalism – Communication, writing
  • 7–9: Interview peers, write story
  • 10–12: Video/news project
  • 13–15: Publish mini-newspaper, reporting project
• Photography / Media – Storytelling, technical skills
  • 7–9: Take simple photos, basic editing
  • 10–12: Video/photo projects
  • 13–15: Media production project, digital editing
• Event Planning / Wedding Services – Organization, creativity
  • 7–9: Plan mini-event
  • 10–12: Assist event setup
  • 13–15: Lead small event project
• Television / Film Production – Media literacy, creativity
  • 7–9: Create short video
  • 10–12: Storyboarding and filming
  • 13–15: Film production project

Hands-On / Technical Skills Industries (Practical/manual skills)

• Pet Care / Veterinary Services – Animal care, responsibility
  • 7–9: Feed and observe pets
  • 10–12: Grooming demo, care basics
  • 13–15: Shadow vet, advanced animal care project
• Agriculture / Farming – Sustainability, plant care
  • 7–9: Plant seeds, learn farm animals
  • 10–12: Crop care, small gardening
  • 13–15: Farm tour, farm-to-table project
• Food Production / Agriculture Tech – Food science, sustainability
  • 7–9: Farm/greenhouse observation
  • 10–12: Crop/production project
  • 13–15: Tech-assisted farming project
• Hospital / Medical Services – Health awareness, empathy
  • 7–9: Hospital tour, basic first aid
  • 10–12: First aid demo, shadow staff
  • 13–15: Health project, shadowing staff
• Public Safety / Emergency Services – Leadership, responsibility
  • 7–9: Safety drills, fire truck visit
  • 10–12: Learn emergency procedures
  • 13–15: Lead safety project, shadow responders
• Transportation / Logistics – Planning, problem-solving
  • 7–9: Map reading, route games
  • 10–12: Delivery planning exercise
  • 13–15: Warehouse/logistics project, fleet operations demo
• Printing / Publishing / Packaging – Production skills, attention to detail
  • 7–9: Letter stamping, coloring
  • 10–12: Simple print/packaging projects
  • 13–15: Layout design, small production project
• Construction / Carpentry – Planning, hand skills, teamwork
  • 7–9: Hammer practice, build small items
  • 10–12: Furniture assembly, blueprint basics
  • 13–15: Build small project, advanced tool practice
• Automotive / Electric vehicle Tech – Mechanics, innovation
  • 7–9: Identify car parts, basic tools
  • 10–12: Tire change demo, maintenance
  • 13–15: Hands-on repair, EV component demo
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