Creative Youth Leadership Program

Offered through the Wellness Institute of WNY.

"I have been involved in public and private education since 1968. The Creative Youth Leadership Program (healthy lifestyles) is the most powerful educational experience I have ever witnessed, from the perspective of both student and facilitator. It provided truly life-changing opportunities for both."

— Dr. Paul Fields, former superintendent
Grand Island, New York

These are the type of comments we hear over and over again from students and educators who have participated in the Creative Youth Leadership Program. Why? Because this program is grounded in research and is based on a curriculum that was designed with input from experts in fields such as: psychology, drug prevention, educators, leadership development, health, wellness, creativity and accelerated learning. Not only do students and educators find our approach practical and impactful, they find it highly engaging.

An Overview
The Creative Youth Leadership Program is a 5-day residential program that helps youth develop the mindset, skill-set and tool-set to create and see more options in their lives and to make healthier decisions. The program includes on-going training throughout the year to support students in applying their newly enhanced skills.

Our aim is to assist youth in the development of a concrete skill base that orients students towards personal health, enabling them to be effective leaders in their schools & communities. To this end, we offer a wide range of structured experiences designed to: build trust, facilitate honest communication; promote wellness, self-respect, tolerance, and personal insight; develop leadership skills, explore drug free lifestyles, and provide an intensive opportunity to interact with healthy adult mentors, who serve as the Family Group Leaders. Learn More..

Our programs focuses on building competency in the following 3 crucial areas:

	Communication – listening & speaking skills
	Problem-solving – thinking & decision making skills
	Leadership– personal responsibility, mastering emotions, and goal-setting

What makes us unique?
This program is based on curriculum that was developed in the early 1990’s with input from a wide variety of experts. The curriculum is grounded in research and designed to:

	Bring together youth and educators from diverse settings: inner city, rural and suburban to focus on the 3 R’s — responsibility to self and others, respect for self and others, and relationship with self and others.
	Instill powerful tools for real behavior change, at a deep, level of the youth psyche. Youth celebrate both the experience of the program and their new experience of self.
	Utilize skilled and compassionate Leaders who are experts in a variety of disciplines including leadership, creative problem solving, education, aikido, sculpture and accelerated learning to serve as mentors.

Bottom-line, this program transform lives and learning environments by equipping young people to see more options and make better choices. Click here to learn more about the creative youth leadership program and here to to see what participants say about our programs.