Youth Leadership · Ages 15–17 · 8-Week Cohort
Rise is the advanced leadership cohort of LeadHers in Bloom — an 8-week program for Black girls ages 15–17 who are ready to move from knowing themselves to moving the world.
Where Roots builds the interior, Rise builds the impact. Participants engage deeply with civic leadership, influence, mentorship, and what it means to lead not just for yourself but for your community. Arts remain the delivery vehicle — through storytelling, documentary, design, performance, and collaborative creative practice — because leadership that cannot communicate is leadership that cannot move. Girls who complete Roots are prepared for Rise, but Rise also welcomes new participants who are ready for the deeper work.
| Week | Theme | What We Do |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Power Mapping | Reading systems of power — who holds it, how it moves, where they fit. Visual mapping and storytelling to examine the structures that shape their lives and identify where their leverage lives. |
| Week 2 | Civic Leadership | What does leadership look like in community? Through storytelling for change, participants explore how civic leadership works and identify a community need they care about. |
| Week 3 | Influence and Integrity | How do you lead when pressure is real and the stakes are personal? Maintaining integrity while building influence — through case studies, performance, and discussion. |
| Week 4 | Mentorship Matters | Leadership flows both ways. Participants learn from a Black woman leader in their field of interest and reflect on what it means to also be a resource for someone younger. |
| Week 5 | Conflict and Courage | Advanced conflict resolution and advocacy. Practice navigating complex interpersonal and systemic conflict using drama and structured dialogue — speaking up, staying principled, and not burning everything down. |
| Week 6 | Leading Alongside Others | Collaboration as a leadership skill. Through a group creative project, peer leadership — lifting others without making themselves smaller. |
| Week 7 | Vision and Legacy | What are you building and who comes after you? A long-view personal and community vision with concrete steps committed to in the next year. |
| Week 8 | The Rise Ceremony | Public presentation of vision and leadership commitment to family, community, and BGA leadership. A formal welcome into the Senior LeadHers Alumni Circle. |
Eight weeks of facilitated sessions, all materials, snacks at in-person gatherings, the Rise Ceremony, and entry into the Senior LeadHers Alumni Circle.