Youth Leadership Initiative is a free 5 month program open to 11th or 12th graders from Ridgefield or Danbury.  This initiative will help teenagers become future Global Leaders. Apply by Dec. 1st.

You will meet with leading social entrepreneurs, environmental designers, and social justice advocates to learn how to draw from respected models of leadership, in order to move positive change in your contexts. Building on what you learn, as a team you will identify a pivotal issue you would like to address and create a change initiative that you will lead based on your shared experiences, learnings, and leadership vision.

We will meet at The Meetinghouse in Ridgefield, CT.

We are located at the intersection of George Washington Highway and Ridgebury Road. The Meetinghouse connects diverse communities and fosters collaborative interaction toward flourishing by providing a leveler where connection and conversation are open and inclusive and brave space to be, belong, and become.

The teaching team will include Global Coaches, Social Entrepreneurs & Local Leaders  

THE CORE TEAM 

Deborah Rundlett is the director of The Meetinghouse. As a global coach and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping leaders to serve local and global communities through the  nurture of wisdom, sustainable practice, and change leadership. 

Anita Howard grew up at the forefront of the  Civil Rights Movement. Her passion for social justice leadership and change is a direct outgrowth of early involvement in the social action that changed American history, leading to various professional roles in university administration (at Radcliffe, Harvard, and Tufts  Universities in Boston, MA) and organizational  consulting (co-founder, J. Howard & Associates,  Inc. and The Efficacy Institute in Boston, MA;  consultant for The Algebra Project, Benjamin  Banneker Charter School, and other social change projects in Boston and beyond).  

Heather Cochrane was raised in Ridgefield and has been a Connecticut high school biology (among other sciences) teacher for many years. She is now in the process of creating a hydroponic farm at The Meetinghouse to support young adults in learning about  agriculture, hydroponics, and where food comes from so that they may be more aware citizens and gain career possibilities.  

The classes begin January 21st – May 2024

First & Third Sundays

from 1:30 pm – 4 pm

The deadline to apply is 12/1/23

To apply, please respond to the questions below by 12/1/23: 

What are three favorite things about yourself? 

When you think about leadership, what comes to mind? 

What made you apply to this leadership program?

What would you like to accomplish during your time in this program?

What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?

What questions do you have for us?

Please email your responses to: 

Connect@Meetinghouse.life

TO LEARN MORE:

Please email Deborah Rundlett the director:  Deborah@Meetinghouse.life