Meeting the Moment: A Leadership Program for the Needs of the Next generation of Leaders
Leading effectively today and looking forward requires a different skillset than in generations past. And the next generation of leaders are looking to gain these skills and to make a real impact in the world. For forty years, the Institute for Sport and Social Justice (The Institute) has harnessed the transcendent power of sport for social good. During that time, we’ve learned how to drive impact by providing tailored content that helps young people understand their platform, passions, and purpose while developing the skills they need to live and lead in an increasingly complicated world.
There is a reason why this work is a necessity, not just the right thing to do. In today’s ever-changing social landscape, our youth have shown alarming levels of depression, isolation, and declining mental health (NIMH, 2023). They report caring about a host of issues, including the environment, inequality, their communities, and brain health, while also struggling to find mentors to support and guide them. Young people long for authentic leadership, meaningful pursuits, and investment in their relationships (Focardi, 2021).
The Institute created a new High School Student-Athlete Leadership Academy because we believe mental health is not just the absence of struggle, but the presence of strong, resilient, values-driven leaders who know themselves from the inside out. We center personal growth and self-awareness, equipping student-athletes with the skills to navigate challenges, lead with empathy, and strengthen the environments they touch. Through developing their sense of self, clarifying core values, identifying strengths, responding constructively to adversity, “handling hard better,” communicating effectively through conflict, and applying emotional intelligence, participants learn to lead themselves first—so they can then lead others and build stronger, safer communities.
Components of this curriculum have already been brought to student-athletes at IMG Academy, Super Bowl LVIII and LIX youth leadership events, the AthLife Annual Conference, Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports, and other youth leadership activations—providing strong momentum heading into the program’s first full year. The complete Leadership Academy is active at Curtis High School in Staten Island, NY, and Osceola High School in Central Florida, with additional school partners to be announced soon as the program expands nationwide.
