The program is held at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond. On the first day students explore the principle elements and ideas involved in leadership. After a brief opening lecture, students participate in a series of activities that stimulate them to think creatively about their own leadership style. Each exercise is discussed within the framework of being a leader at the Children’s Museum.
Students also look at related leadership issues involving followership and group dynamics on the first day. They study the roles of followers and are challenged to draw conclusions about being a leader (or a follower) in a group of other people. These three themes – leadership, followership, and group dynamics – address some of the most fundamental parts of the larger leadership picture, and set the stage for a more intensive study of other leadership topics on the second day.
The second day is similar in design to the first but addresses broader leadership themes related to engagement in the community and ethics. The day begins with a brief review of the first session before students move into new material. They look at community leadership and discuss why it is important and how it can be practiced. They work to define servant leadership and what it means to serve the children they work with at the museum. The program’s last major theme, ethics, is perhaps the most challenging. Students assess and deliberate on various case studies which illustrate the challenges of moral leadership. They then come up with a framework for addressing ethical issues they may face during their work at the Children’s Museum.
Students end the day by writing a letter to themselves outlining what type of leader they want to be to the younger students at the Children’s Museum. The letters are sealed and returned at the end of the summer volunteer experience.
After participating in the leadership program at the University of Richmond and successfully completing the orientation training at the museum, students begin their service as leaders. Students work with each other to oversee week-long camps for young children, leading them through various activities from arts and crafts to theatre.
Later in the summer, as students conclude their roles as summer volunteers at the Museum and prepare to return to school, they all come together again for a lunch celebration with staff from the Center for Leadership in Education. Students reflect on their experience and discuss the challenges and triumphs they have encountered as leaders. The primary themes from the two-day opening program are also revisited. Additionally, students use this time to ask questions that may have come up during their summer experience. A thoughtful dialogue helps students consider their own roles as leaders and look for ways they can build and further develop their leadership skills. At program’s end, each participate is awarded a certificate of completion for their work as leaders at the Children’s Museum.
