LeadHers in Bloom: Roots
Youth Leadership · Ages 12–14 · 8-Week Cohort
Program Overview
Where: La Sala Boston · 2379 Washington St, Roxbury, MA 02119
When: Mondays · 4–6 PM ET
Includes: Snacks at every session and 2–3 field trips during the summer.
Roots is where it begins. This is the foundational cohort of LeadHers in Bloom — an 8-week leadership immersion for Black girls ages 12–14. Before a girl can lead a room, a team, or a movement, she has to know who she is.
Through arts-based learning — spoken word, visual art, movement, storytelling, and collaborative creative practice — participants explore identity, voice, values, and what leadership actually feels like from the inside. This is not a program about public speaking tricks or college prep checklists. It is about building a girl who knows herself deeply enough that no one can convince her she is less than she is.
What We Cover
| Week | Theme | What We Do |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Who Am I | Identity mapping through visual self-portraiture. Participants create an artistic representation of how they see themselves — not how the world labels them. Facilitated discussion on identity, culture, and belonging. |
| Week 2 | My Voice | Voice as a leadership tool. Spoken word and poetry to find and claim authentic voice. The goal is not performance — it is truth-telling. |
| Week 3 | My Values | What do you stand for when no one is watching? A personal values collage and exploration of how values guide decision-making and leadership. |
| Week 4 | Leading from the Inside | Leadership is not a title. Through journaling and movement, participants explore what it means to lead from the inside out — what they bring, not what others give them. |
| Week 5 | Navigating Hard Rooms | Conflict resolution and advocacy through storytelling and drama. Practice navigating tension, speaking up, and staying grounded in hard moments. |
| Week 6 | Community and Belonging | Collaborative mural creation. Examining family, culture, community — and how belonging shapes leadership identity. |
| Week 7 | My Vision | Vision boarding and future self-mapping. Each participant creates a visual and written portrait of who she is becoming. |
| Week 8 | The Garden Ceremony | The closing celebration. Each participant publicly claims her vision, her voice, and her seat in the sisterhood. Family invited. Welcomed into the LeadHers Alumni Circle. |
What You Walk Away With
- A clear and articulated personal identity that is not dependent on external validation
- Vocabulary and confidence to name her values and lead from them
- Practical tools for navigating conflict and hard conversations
- A completed personal vision for the year ahead with concrete steps
- A sisterhood cohort and entry into the LeadHers Alumni Circle
- A portfolio of creative work produced across the 8 weeks
Eight weeks of facilitated sessions, all materials, snacks at in-person gatherings, the Garden Ceremony, and entry into the LeadHers Alumni Circle.
With Gratitude to La Sala
Our Summer 2026 Roots cohort is generously hosted by La Sala Boston, who has sponsored this program by providing their beautiful Roxbury space as our home for the season. We are deeply grateful for their partnership in making this cohort possible.
