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Leadership in Action

Leadership in Action is Bryn Mawr’s distinctive character, curiosity and community-building program for all pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade students. This innovative, action-focused initiative brings together personalized leadership development for each student, community engagement experiences and social impact opportunities. 
Through the Leadership in Action program Bryn Mawr students:
  • Feel empowered in self-discovery
  • Become responsible global citizens by having an impact in the world 
  • Partner with and serve communities in the Baltimore area
  • Immerse themselves in real-world experiences beyond the classroom
  • Share their work with the community 

Pillars

Leadership in Action involves three supporting pillars, which which allow students to grow, create change and expand opportunities for others:
Personalized Leadership Development: Each girl will explore and develop her personal values, voice and vision through curricular and co-curricular programming in grades PK-12. 
Community Engagement: Students learn they are part of something bigger than themselves, and that they have a responsibility to advocate for inclusive and equitable practices and participate in community issues they care about in Baltimore and beyond. Scaffolded experiences and classes throughout our PK-12 program allow students to engage with our city and communities around the world in order to make a difference in someone's life.
Social Impact Lab: We provide support and resources for PK-12 students to channel their interests and curiosity to create innovative solutions for today’s pressing issues, whether on campus, in the community, or around the world.  Students and faculty use the Social Impact Lab as a resource for feedback, coaching, and skill-development to help move their ideas into action.

Programs

Leadership in Action brings together both new and long-standing programs at Bryn Mawr. Through the program, students will identify their unique leadership strengths and develop practical skills such as pitch development, goal and mission setting, interview techniques, networking, financial statement analysis, systems design, and more. 

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  • All School

    • Leadership in Action Speaker Series will launch this winter for the Bryn Mawr community to help foster active engagement and responsibility to the broader community. 
    • Social Impact Expo - a spring festival where students from all divisions share their impact-driven work. Prizes will be awarded to a student or group of students who addresses an issue that has the most significant impact.  
    • Student Social Impact Lab Seed Funding - A competitive application process for students to pitch projects to a panel of faculty and alumnae. Once projects are selected, mentors will be assigned who will guide and evaluate the project process.

  • Lower School

    • Lower School Values program
    • Entrepreneurship Gateway 
    • Fifth Grade Leadership Lunches 
    • Giving Square (2nd and 3rd grade): Explore solutions in the community and practice building philanthropy skills
    • Social Institute (5th-12th grade): Social-emotional learning and digital citizenship

  • Middle School

    • Voice and Vision Seminar: A capstone project for all Middle School students challenges girls to create “something real for someone real.” 
    • Empowering Female Voices: Election 2020 (Grades 6-12): A six-week series of online civic engagement workshops leading up to the presidential election.
    • Bringing Voice to Values: Advisory workshops on civil discourse
    • The Wonder Project: 7th grade Science
    • Outdoor Education: Chesapeake Bay; Outward Bound; North Ba
    • Fortis Puella ("Strong Girl") Bryn Mawr's Wellness Program

  • Upper School

    • Dozens of opportunities in Upper School for students to get involved in organizations, conferences, clubs and programs to build their own leadership approach and skills, including: UPenn Social Innovators Program, P4X Leadership Seminar, mentoring at New Century School, Invest in Girls and Edith Hamilton Scholars.
    • Upper School students will serve as Ambassadors to the Social Institute, helping create and vet content for the program.

News

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Leadership in Action Speaker Series

A highlight of our programming is the Leadership in Action Speaker Series, which provides the Bryn Mawr community with opportunities to hear from and engage with inspiring leaders. Featured speakers are invited to focus on one or more of our program’s core values — compassion, courage, collaboration, responsibility and ingenuity — and share their personal and professional insights, knowledge and experiences. The Leadership in Action Speaker Series aims to foster active engagement and responsibility to the broader community.

November 11, 2020: Inaugural Event: Polly Donaldson ‘75
December 2020: Maryland STEM Career Fair for Girls, Speakers Panel
January 2021: Ethics and Inclusivity
February/March 2021: Courage and Compassion
Spring 2021: Ingenuity and Entrepreneurship
May 2021: The Inaugural Howard P. Colhoun Family 
Woman of Consequence Award

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  • Leadership in Action Student Expo: May 3 - 13, 2021

    The annual Leadership in Action Student Expo will showcase and celebrate student work that has impacted a community, exemplifies leadership traits or shows a connection to something greater than oneself.

    The inaugural expo will be held in a virtual format, kicking off the week of May 3, 2021. Each day, we’ll share student-produced videos showcasing projects and the processes taken to realize their ideas. Projects may include the culmination of a classroom activity or an independent idea that came to fruition outside of the classroom. The student videos will illustrate core values of the Leadership in Action Program:

    Compassion - Empathy in Action
    Courage - Resilient in the face of Change
    Collaboration - Teamwork in Action; Diversity of thought in Action 
    Responsibility - Ethical Decision Making in Action
    Ingenuity - Intellectual Curiosity in Action
    View Event Details

Leadership In Action Student Expo Videos

Partners

Bryn Mawr currently partners with parents, alumnae, businesses, non-profits, and other organizations in Baltimore and beyond. Partner organizations include:

Supporters

The Bryn Mawr School gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following donors who have invested in these important programs:

The Caplan Family Fund for Learning Innovation
The Howard P. Colhoun Family Fund

Find out more

Contact: Justin Curtis, Senior Director of Academic and Strategic Initiatives

The Bryn Mawr School

109 West Melrose Avenue