Exploring Leadership: A Summer Youth Program
Empowering Bay Area youth to lead community change
Exploring Leadership helps high school students become active leaders in their communities. Over six weeks, you’ll gain the skills you need to make a real difference, with hands-on training in critical thinking, goal setting, and leading groups. You’ll take part in immersive leadership workshops, gain valuable experience through a professional internship with a local organization, and create a community project from start to finish. By the end of the program, you’ll have stronger leadership skills, real-world work experience, a deeper understanding of local issues, a network of mentors, and the confidence to take action and make a positive impact.
This Coro California program is offered in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Application Currently Closed
The application cycle has closed. Submit an Interest Form to receive recruitment updates.
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Program Overview
- Build leadership capacity through hands-on Coro training that develops critical thinking, goal setting, effective communication, and collaboration skills essential for leadership.
- Gain professional experience through an internship placement at a local nonprofit organization, business, or government agency, building your real-world work exposure and professional network.
- Practice facilitation skills by learning to lead groups, facilitate discussions, and guide collaborative processes that bring varied people together around shared goals.
- Connect with community leaders and gain access to a professional network of mentors and changemakers ready to support your growth and development.
Program Benefits
- Enhance leadership skills and confidence, discovering and strengthening your natural abilities through hands-on practice and supportive feedback.
- Gain work experience, developing professional skills and an understanding of workplace dynamics through an internship that builds your resumce and prepares you for future opportunities.
- Deepen community understanding, exploring complex issues and learning how to analyze challenges, identify stakeholders, and develop effective collaborative solutions.
- Build a professional network, connecting with Coro leaders, organizational partners, and peers who share your commitment to positive change.
- Increase change-making capacity by developing skills and confidence to advance goals in your community through effective leadership and collaboration.
Ideal Candidates & Eligibility
- Are high school sophomores or juniors when applying. The program is tailored specifically for rising juniors and rising seniors who are preparing for next educational steps.
- Are interested in positive change and seek to make a difference in their schools and communities through active citizenship and leadership development.
- Are open to growth and willing to leave comfort zones, try new experiences, and challenge themselves in supportive learning environments.
- Work well independently and in teams, demonstrating ability to take initiative on individual tasks while collaborating effectively with groups.
- Are eager to learn and bring curiosity and willingness to develop new skills in leadership, communication, facilitation, and community organizing.
- Commit to full participation (explore the program calendar for program dates and attendance expectations).
Format & Curriculum
Program Structure
Six-week full-time summer program running Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM in San Francisco. The program combines hands-on leadership training, professional internship placements, and the development and delivery of a community action project. Explore the program calendar for more information.
Curriculum Themes
Content addresses essential youth leadership competencies including critical thinking and problem analysis, goal setting and strategic planning, effective communication across differences, facilitation and group leadership, collaboration and teamwork, and community organizing for positive change.
Professional Development Focus
Internship placements provide real-world work experience across nonprofit, business, and government sectors. Youth Fellows gain practical professional skills, understand workplace expectations, build professional networks, and explore potential career pathways through hands-on experience.
Learning Approach
Coro’s experiential methods center active practice over passive listening. You’ll engage in case discussions, leadership simulations, peer exchanges, and reflective exercises. Facilitators create space for mindfulness, vulnerability, and authentic connection, fostering psychological safety for adaptive collaboration and innovation.
Program Philosophy
Coro’s approach emphasizes three core principles: active leadership practice as lifelong learning, relating productively across differences in identities and perspectives, and embracing curiosity and vulnerability as foundations for authentic leadership and meaningful change.
Cost & Financial Support
Tuition
There is no cost to participants. Exploring Leadership is tuition-free, removing financial barriers to access transformative youth leadership development.
Completion Stipend
Each participant receives a $250 stipend upon completing the program. This stipend helps offset transportation costs and other expenses related to program participation.
Application Process & Key Dates
How to Apply
Complete the online application sharing your interest in community leadership, openness to new experiences, and commitment to full program participation. Review the Application Guide for detailed instructions and tips for crafting strong responses. Applications are reviewed holistically considering leadership potential, willingness to learn, and ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
Application Deadlines
The application timeline for the summer 2027 cohort is in progress and will be updated when it is finalized.
Selection Timeline
Applications are reviewed following the deadline(s); select applicants will be invited to a virtual interview and notified of cohort selection afterward.
Meet the Cohort and Past Organizations
Sponsors
