Come see what we're all about

StageOneInAction’s Youth Leadership Development Program is dedicated to providing teenagers and young adults (“SOIA Ambassadors”), both in the United States and Internationally, with learning opportunities to develop Personal and Career Skills, Identification and Growth of Natural Talents and recognition of the importance of Community Involvement.


Equipping the younger generation with such key building blocks for future success will produce a new generation of highly effective leaders that are both capable and driven to overcome the challenges of the future.

The Curriculum

Phase 1

The Introduction to Personal and Professional Development Course focuses on core competencies in specific topics (noted below) that successively build on each other. This phase can be delivered over an 8-14 week period. Participants are also given access to a simulation platform that closely emulates real-world scenarios in demonstrating what it would be like to work in various industries.

Below are the topics covered during this phase:

Modules

Module 1: Core Values

Many young people today do not know what they want to do with their lives and in some cases, lack sufficient drive to kick start a career and become productive members of society. Others pay tens of thousands of dollars pursuing careers that they never fully pursue and/or develop apathy through boredom, never achieving at their highest level of potential.


In these sessions, participants are guided on discovering their core values and learning the importance of honoring them daily. Students are also given a career aptitude assessment that is based on a characterization of their personality in terms of the Holland Code personality types. This helps them to understand what kind of work environments and occupations suit them best and provides them with a list of professions and occupations that fit their career personality.

Module 2: Goal Setting

Building on their core values and having learnt about professions and occupations that suit their personality type, participants begin the process of “putting the pieces together” and chart a course for their future.

Using decision-making processes – “S.M.A.R.T and H.A.R.D Goals” - that can be applied to all areas of their lives, participants begin setting their academic, career, health, and financial goals. These goals will be later revised and updated over the course of three years, with guidance from their coaches.

Module 3: Growth Mindset

Many of our youth have had negative experiences in maths and other challenging subjects. This is often due to the pervasive myth that there is an innate ability associated with doing well in these subjects.

This myth is generally interpreted by youth that they are not smart enough when met with challenging work and can lead them to giving up or becoming anxious. When youth believe intellectual ability can be developed, they are more likely to welcome and persist through challenges, and to see them as opportunities to learn.

Module 4: Health - Nutrition, Exercise, and The Brain

This unit focuses on how intricately connected nutrition and exercise are with overall health, but more specifically mental health.

Participants are presented with scientific peered research information on optimum diets and the positive significance of exercise on brain health.

Module 5: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Content for this lesson is taken from Stephen R. Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

The principles presented “ignore trends and pop psychology and focus on timeless principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity.”

Module 6: Good Grooming and Dressing for Success

Ambassadors are taught that good grooming habits and dressing for success builds confidence and in turn, attracts others which is important when building business or career-related relationships.

Building a solid network of professional contacts is imperative for achieving success and attracting others to you, to communicate effectively and therefore engaging with you is that much easier when one takes pride in personal appearance.

Module 7: Public Speaking

The success or failure of any relationship is rooted in communication. With good communication skills, most challenges can be overcome and with poor or no communication skills, most relationships are doomed to fail.

While public speaking can be daunting to most, developing good public speaking skills is an instant attraction to others, most of whom will lack confidence to convey important thoughts and messages. Ambassadors will undertake public speaking practice in this unit to build confidence and to develop sought after leadership qualities that are a key component for achieving success in their chosen career path.

Virtual Business Simulation

Ambassadors are given access to a Virtual Business Simulation platform that covers nine industries they can choose from. They are required to complete the Personal Finance simulation within the first year of the program. www.knowledgematters.com

Phase 2

Over a three-year period, coaches will work with their ambassadors by guiding them to further develop their core values, goals, talents and involvement in their community. There are five main activities that Ambassadors will be involved in during this phase.

1. Career Technical Education w/ Virtual Business Simulations

2. Annual Youth Leadership Business Challenge

3. Local and Virtual Presentations

4. Cross-Age Teaching

5. StageOne Speaks

Career Technical Education

Ambassadors are given access to a library of over 250 career and elective courses, which includes a wide range of topics such as Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Agriscience, Cybersecurity, Forensics, Game Design, EKG/ECG Technician, Entrepreneurship, and much more!

Ambassadors are also encouraged to pursue Industry certifications that will help them prepare for careers in high-demand and high-wage occupations, such as IT, Healthcare and Business. These programs are designed using courses already available to the ambassadors. And, it puts them on “a clearly defined, national-standard aligned path to explore career options and acquire the technical knowledge and skills to work towards industry-recognized certification and high-demand careers.”

The Industry certification programs also includes the following wrap-around services for our Ambassadors:

  • Full service virtual school setting

  • Teacher office hours

  • Homeroom/Advisory - SEL and daily check-in

  • All-day Open Study hall

  • Monthly progress notes

  • intervention plans

  • written student learning plan

  • Honors society, clubs, etc

  • Credit bearing courses

Youth Leadership Business Challenge

StageOneInAction will conduct an annual Youth Leadership Business Challenge beginning in Summer 2023. This challenge is geared towards developing our Ambassadors in becoming future business leaders and entrepreneurs. Various prizes will be awarded to participants.

Local and Virtual Presentations

In preparation for our annual Youth Leadership Challenge, ambassadors will be required to present and conduct seminars at their local libraries on various subject matters, but with a primary focus on the curriculum in Phase 1. This will help them develop their presentation and public speaking skills. Ambassadors will be required to wear their StageOneInAction branded blazer and to record every session for later review and feedback from their peers and coaches.


They also develop the skill of marketing as they practice ways of inviting friends, family, and the general community to attend their seminars.


These events are also essential to StageOneInAction’s year-round recruitment and retention efforts.

Cross-Age Teaching

Cross-Age Teaching is a delivery method that is used to further enhance one’s knowledge on a subject matter. Ambassadors will be given the opportunity to facilitate an entire lesson’s (ex: Goal Setting) learning experience during the Introduction to Personal and Professional Development Course in Phase 1. Ambassadors will either join the coach virtually or physically.

StageOne Speaks

Ambassadors that have shown their dedication to the vision of becoming the best version of themselves will be awarded the center stage! Similar to Ted Talk, StageOne Speaks will be held during our annual International Conventions, where our top Ambassadors from around the world will be given the opportunity to share a talk on their passion, what their journey has been like, and where they are going.