🏛️💬 Bridge Builders: Leading with Inclusion
🎒 An Afterschool Leadership Lab for Ages 15–18
🧠 Awareness. 🗣️ Advocacy. 🌍 Action.
Teens today aren’t afraid to speak up. They know inclusion matters—and they want to be the ones who shape spaces that are just, welcoming, and safe for everyone. Bridge Builders is a teen-led afterschool experience where high school students explore equity, empathy, and systemic belonging—while developing the leadership skills to create real change in their schools and communities. Part social justice lab, part youth think tank, 100% teen-powered.
🧭 How It Works
Bridge Builders blends identity work with action through:
🧠 Identity & Power Mapping: Exploring how race, gender, culture, and lived experience shape belonging and voice.
🫶🏽 Community-Centered Leadership: Understanding group dynamics, emotional safety, allyship, and restorative practices.
🎭 Narrative & Storytelling: Using poetry, video, podcasting, or public speaking to share lived experience and build bridges.
🧩 Systems Thinking: Digging into the structures that uphold exclusion—and designing ideas to break barriers.
⚖️ Youth-Driven Advocacy: Building campaigns and proposals to reshape policies, environments, and norms around inclusion and respect.
🛠️ Sample Projects + Labs
Bridge Builders choose and co-create projects based on school needs and personal passion. Examples include:
🎤 Humans of Our School Campaign
Interview students and staff, and produce a photo-story series that spotlights diverse voices and hidden experiences.
🗣️ Bias Interrupt Workshop
Design and lead peer workshops about unconscious bias, microaggressions, or harmful language—and what to do instead.
🧱 Belonging Audit
Evaluate physical and cultural spaces in your school: What’s welcoming? What’s not? Present solutions to student government or admin.
🎭 The Inclusion Stage
Host a spoken word or art night to amplify stories from students who are often left out or unheard.
📣 Policy & Practice Proposal
Identify one key issue affecting inclusion (e.g., gender-neutral bathrooms, pronoun use, dress code, accessible classrooms) and propose a change—with evidence and community backing.
🎉 Bridge Builders Action Forum
The program culminates in a student-hosted Bridge Builders Action Forum, where youth:
🎤 Present projects, campaigns, or personal stories
🏛️ Facilitate conversations with peers, educators, and local leaders
🎓 Receive certificates, service hours, and recognition for leadership
🌍 Share a collective “Youth Manifesto for Inclusion”
More than a showcase—it's a catalyst for lasting change.
🎁 Bridge Builders Toolkit
Each participant receives a Bridge Builders Toolkit to support their journey, including:
🧭 Identity & values mapping workbook
📓 Campaign planning templates
📣 Advocacy writing guides (emails, op-eds, policy proposals)
🎨 Tools for storytelling: zines, poetry, video prompts
📚 Resource list on equity, social justice, and youth leadership
Optional: Access to mentorship, microgrants, or internships through community partners.
🌟 What Students Walk Away With
🧠 Critical Thinking: Tools to understand systems and question norms
🗣️ Courageous Communication: Skills to speak truth and lead dialogue
🎯 Real-World Impact: Experience planning and launching change-making initiatives
💛 Community & Belonging: A safe space to grow, express, and connect
🌍 Vision: A deeper sense of who they are and how they want to lead
✨ Because Inclusion Starts with Intentional Action
Bridge Builders isn’t just about talking—it’s about transforming.
With the right skills and support, young people can shift culture, challenge injustice, and create spaces where everyone belongs.
🏫 Their school.
🫶 Their community.
🌎 Their future.
Let the movement begin.