Program Details

Unleash your inner potential and create the time of your life at the NSLC on Mastering Leadership.

At the NSLC on Mastering Leadership, you’ll gain a better understanding of who you are and what you have to offer, no matter what career path you choose. You and your team of peers will explore your strengths and talents as you unleash your natural leadership abilities.

Program Highlights

Community service project
Earn up to 6 service hours and up to 4 service-learning hours.

Interactive leadership workshops
Learn to harness your leadership strengths to effectively motivate and communicate with others.

Guest Speakers
Meet with community leaders, government officials and heads of nonprofit organizations.

Dates & Locations

Note: Space is limited. Please login to the online application to see up-to-date session availability.

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Sample Schedule
Trips & Tours
Explore Location
  • June 11 - June 16
  • June 19 - June 24
  • June 27 - July 2
The NSLC is not related to or affiliated with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in any way. NSLC is an entirely separate entity with no connection to JHU aside from the temporary rental of facilities for the program.

University of San Diego

San Diego, CA

Trips & Tours
Explore Location
  • July 13 - July 18
  • July 22 - July 27

Interactive Community Development

At the NSLC youth leadership program Mastering Leadership, every moment is hands-on. Together you and your team will play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses as you develop strategies for implementing what matters most to you and your community. On the next to last day of the program, you will be an active participant as you contribute during a day of service and for your participation in our national youth conference on leadership, you will earn up to 6 service hours and up to 4 service-learning hours.

Pillars of Effective Leadership

During the course of the program, students will participate in a variety of interactive workshops, led by nationally-renowned facilitators. These workshops will help students master the Pillars of Effective Leadership as they prepare to serve their communities and the world.

Vision and Goal Setting: Learn to effectively envision and declare what matters most to you in life – whether it be a passion for something within your school, your extracurricular activities, your community or your world. Create your personal strategic plan for living leadership every day as you build strategies that will engage those around you.

Persuasive Communication Learn to communicate in a powerful way, stirring the emotions of your listeners while encouraging them to take action on their vision.

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Explore the dynamics and learn the strategies of win-win negotiation and conflict resolution. Enhance your ability to handle high-stakes situations with greater ease.

Team Building Witness the power of teamwork and see how you can accomplish extraordinary results by empowering others to work together. The Ropes Challenge Course challenges you to go beyond your perceived boundaries, requires you to solve problems, and teaches you to trust yourself and others around you – ultimately making you a more powerful and effective leader.

The Distinctions of Leadership This is perhaps the single most profound component of the national youth conference on leadership. Through our experiential workshops you will examine and practice the fine line between “inclusive” and “exclusive” leadership. You will discover what enables the most significant members of our society to be the exceptional people they are and explore the intricacies of Vision, Integrity, Responsibility, Character, Commitment, and Empowerment. You will discover what makes you distinct as a leader and harness your natural ability to lead and to make a difference for others!

Community Service One of the key components of the youth leadership program is our Community Service Project. Make a real difference as you plan and participate in this unique experience. You will earn up to 6 service hours and up to 4 service-learning hours as part of this project.

Group Dynamics Explore and understand your ability to contribute in a meaningful way to the team you serve. Discover how and why we act the way we do in different situations and develop powerful strategies for motivating others for the task at hand.

Meet Leadership Professionals

While at the NSLC’s youth leadership program, you will be challenged to move beyond your comfort zone and develop your leadership potential. You will be guided by a group of nationally-renowned facilitators with decades of experience working with high school students. The NSLC leadership team will be there every step of the way as you master the Pillars of Effective Leadership.

During your NSLC program, you will also meet with and learn from leaders in the fields of public service, government and community development. These speakers will share their insights on the power of leadership and serving others.

In past years, guest speakers have included:

Justice David Souter
U.S. Supreme Court

Adotei Akwei
Advocacy Director, Amnesty International

Robert Tschetter
Director, PeaceCorps

Secretary Edward Schager
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Mark Sullivan
Director, U.S. Secret Service

Mary Erbach
Director of Education, Art Institute of Chicago

Behind-the-Scenes Tours

An important part of the NSLC youth leadership program is seeing the sites around some of our nation’s greatest cities. These trips are designed as both sightseeing tours and exclusive educational trips specifically tailored to the area of Leadership.

These tours may include:

Johns Hopkins University

Capitol Hill | U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum | Historic Union Station | The Smithsonian Institution | Georgetown | Historic D.C. Monuments at Night

University of San Diego

Community Service project | Seaport Village | Beach Clean Up | Balboa Park |

College Credit Option

American University (AU) and NSLC have a unique partnership that enables you to earn college credit by enrolling in a supplemental online course designed to correlate with your NSLC program’s area of study. By enrolling in this credit course, you will enjoy a stimulating, innovative, and personalized college-level learning experience that builds on your NSLC accomplishments. The course is for one credit and is taught in a self-paced, asynchronous format across six weeks, allowing ample time to complete assignments. The course is designed to work within the framework of NSLC; students are not expected to complete coursework while on campus. Students may register for college credit via their personal student portal (myNSLC) once they have enrolled in an NSLC session.

Click here to learn more about this opportunity.

Tuition

Program tuition includes housing, all on-campus meals, course materials, academic expenses, and activities. Tuition also includes chartered, air-conditioned motor coaches for off-campus briefings and tours. Note: Students are responsible for the cost of travel to and from the program as well as individual spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and a few off-campus meals during fields trips and tours.

Click here to view our cancellation and refund policy.

LocationTuition
San Diego and Washington, D.C.$2,695
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