BYA Leadership Program helps students to cultivate their unique capabilities to be a positive force in their own lives, in their school, and in their community.

Using a proprietary curriculum, the Brieant Youth Alliance has partnered with Ossining administrators, teachers, and educational consultants to provide real-world examples of the qualities of leadership. Through role-playing, behavior modeling, and classroom exercises, students identify their unique leadership qualities and develop those strengths, while also recognizing that leadership styles vary and there is no “one-size fits all.”

The Life Long Leaders Program is a 10 week fully funded Brieant Youth Alliance program sponsored in three of the Ossining schools. 18-22 students are chosen by school administrators and counselors to take a careful look at themselves and use this self-awareness to be productive contributors to their community.

Children learn about the essential qualities of character of any type of leader: empathy; integrity; accountability; communications; trustworthiness, etc. In all three schools, the program culminates with an age-appropriate community project that they collectively decided upon, a project designed to put their new understanding of leadership to practical use for the benefit of others. Capstone Projects have ranged from Earth Day presentations to letter-writing campaigns to an OHS “Impact Day”, where students volunteered at a variety of Ossining nonprofits.

Children are taught to Identify the Problem, Resolve Conflicts Early, Share their Feelings, Listen Actively and with Compassion, Finding a Solution Together and Agreeing on a Plan of Action. Additional skill sets taught include checking their own behavior, soul searching and self-examination; all in an effort to visualize a successful and peaceful conversation. This helps students to develop their listening and critical thinking skills to understand and resolve conflict in their lives.

Students who successfully complete the program become the mediators to whom other students will turn to resolve differences. From our handbook, Students Resolving Conflict, one student is quoted as saying, “The thing I like about mediation is the kids would be angry at first. But then they talk it over, they seem happier about their choices and can learn to face them.”