15 Leadership Activities for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Aug 1
- 9 min read
Opting for a leadership program is a solid choice to be ahead of the curve during your middle school years. Regardless of the field you see yourself in the future, such programs are beneficial owing to their focus on essential skills like teamwork, communication, goal-setting, and more!Â
Through simulations, workshops, and hands-on activities, these programs involve a study of the best leadership traits and their usage in the real world. Additionally, it also helps you assess your individual pros and cons, thereby boosting your overall personality!
If you’re a middle school student, here’s a list of 15 leadership programs you could consider applying to!
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: Varies for different cohorts, with two Summer cohorts starting on June 2 & July 14.
Application Deadline: Varies for different cohorts, more details here.
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
Fee: Varies, financial aid available
Location:Â Virtual
The Junior Explorer Program (JEP) by Lumiere is an 8-week multidisciplinary program for middle school students. Students explore varying disciplines in STEM, humanities, and social sciences through virtual sessions, hands-on activities, and expert guidance from PhD mentors from top universities. In weeks 1 to 4, you will explore all the exploration tracks, ranging from history and international relations to mathematics and engineering. In weeks 5 and 6, you will be expected to choose an exploration track that aligns with your interests and dig deeper into the field. In the final 2 weeks, you will rein in your learnings to build a meaningful high school-level project in the field, under the guidance of your PhD mentor!
While all the exploration tracks harbor a leadership element, the Business, Entrepreneurship, and Strategy explicitly focuses on the same. Upon choosing the exploration track, you will learn more about business plans, financial literacy, marketing strategies, and more! You can also work on a Harvard Business School-style case study for your final project and present it through a medium of your choice!
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts in different locations between June and August, more details here.
Eligibility:Â Students in grades 7-8
Fee:Â $3,145 for residential program, $2,645 for day program (Need-based scholarship available)
Location: Multiple locations for different cohorts, more details here.
The Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC) is a 6-day program that focuses on developing leadership skills in middle school students. Through site visits, workshops, group activities, and hands-on simulations, students will explore influential public figures from American history to study leadership concepts, skills, and lessons.
Through multiple sessions like Roots of Leadership, Public Service Announcement, and Facing The Music Simulation, you will learn more about leadership attributes, overcoming intolerance, decision-making, and more! Towards the end of the program, you will find the opportunity to develop your presentation and argumentation skills during the Peace Patch protest workshop.
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 9 - June 20 (Cohort I) | July 14- July 25 (Cohort II)
Application Deadline:Â Varies according to the cohort; more details here.
Eligibility:Â Students in grades 6-8
Fee:Â Varies, financial aid available
Location: Virtual
AI Trailblazers by Veritas AI is a two-week virtual summer program for middle school students. Over 25 hours of instruction time, students build their foundations in Python and AI models by delving into subjects like neural networking, regression, image classification, deep learning, and more! The program assigns an expert mentor for each group of 5 students, who acts as their guide throughout the program.
The program also fosters leadership skills and teamwork in students by mandating a group project using artificial intelligence or machine learning. The project must be reflective of your interest and solve a real-world problem. For example, if you’re interested in solving a problem in the Education sector using AI, you could develop a voice assistant to aid personalisation and accessibility in the field. Past students have built projects to help with malaria detection and CIFAR-10 recognition.Â
Acceptance Rate: Moderately Selective
Dates: Multiple week-long programs between June and July, more details here.
Application Deadline:Â Rolling deadlines.
Eligibility:Â Students in grades 6-8
Fee:Â $2,895 for residential program, $2,495 for commuter program (Need-based scholarship is available)
Location: Varies according to programs, more details here.
The National Students Leadership Conference (NSLC) offers multiple interactive programs to middle school students, with a specific focus on the element of leadership in each of them. These week-long programs delve into varying fields like art & design, business, engineering, government & law, and medicine & healthcare.Â
While specialising in the above fields, the leadership curriculum in the programs trains students in goal-setting, communication, listening, personality styles, and empathy through workshops and hands-on activities. You will also get an opportunity to make new and valuable connections with participants from different parts of the globe. Finally, the program will also help you in learning more about future opportunities in your chosen field!
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 9 - June 20
Application Deadline:Â March 1
Eligibility:Â Middle school students
Fee:Â $3,640 for California residents, $4,160 for others
Location: UC Berkeley, CA
The Berkeley Business Academy For Youth (B-BAY) introduces and trains middle school students in every aspect of entrepreneurship, ranging from finance & accounting to corporate social responsibility. In its two-week Middle School Entrepreneurship program, you will develop your leadership skills under the guidance of experienced professors, mentors, PhD students, and established entrepreneurs.
You will work individually or in teams for your classroom projects, thereby developing individual and team skills in the process. The program also goes one step further by furthering financial and technological literacy among students, with an emphasis on business economics and computer software.Â
Acceptance Rate: Not Selective
Dates: June 29 - July 2
Application Deadline:Â Unspecified
Eligibility:Â Students in grades 6-12
Registration Fee: $195
Location: Anaheim, CA.
The National Leadership Conference, hosted by Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), is a 4-day event that sees participation of middle and high school students in competitive events. Divided into individual and team formats, the competitive events test the knowledge, expertise, and communication skills of students through objective test events and presentation events.Â
Since the conference also features other enterprising FBLA members, you will also find an ample number of opportunities to network with like-minded individuals and future leaders. Skill-building and leadership sessions also form part of the conference.Â
Acceptance Rate: Moderately selective
Dates: Varies according to cohort, more details here.
Application Deadline:Â June 16
Eligibility:Â Students entering grades 6-9
Fee:Â $405 for AWSL member school students, $455 for others
Location: Cispus Learning Center, WA.Â
Middle-level programs offered by the Association of Washington Student Leaders aim to develop leadership skills in middle school students through an advanced curriculum. In the 4-day program, you will engage in a host of activities to upgrade your skills in communication, teamwork, problem-solving, decision-making, and more!
Over 3000 students participate in AWSL’s various middle-level summer programs, allowing students to network with peers with similar interests from different backgrounds. The updated curriculum titled ‘Starting In The Middle’, designed by AWSL, also incorporates new ways to teach leadership concepts in the form of icebreakers, workshops, student handouts, and more!
Acceptance Rate: Highly Selective
Dates: June 11 - August 13
Application Deadline:Â Early Bird Rate Deadline ends 10 days before the start of the session; participants registering afterwards will have to pay an additional fee of $25.
Eligibility:Â Students in grades 7-11
Fee:Â $700(Financial aid available)
Location: Virtual
Northwestern University’s Leadership Intensive is a 9-week online program for middle school and high school students. Through a combination of weekly 105-minute synchronous sessions and individual coursework, you will study leaders from different professions and develop your own leadership skills.Â
Students also meet and interact with leaders working in government, business and the nonprofit sector, thereby forming valuable networks. You will also become adept at teamwork by engaging in team-building and problem-solving activities steered by your class instructor.Â
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: Multiple week-long programs between July and August, more details here.
Application Deadline:Â Unspecified
Eligibility:Â Students in grades 6-8
Fee:Â $2,898 for residential program, $1,498 for commuter program
Location: Berkeley, CA
Summer Springboard’s Middle School Business and Entrepreneurship program, hosted at Berkeley, caters to aspiring founders and entrepreneurs studying in middle school. In the week-long program, you will attend 3-hour sessions and learn how to create business ideas, how to market your product, how to curate a business plan, and more!
As a practical activity, you will engage in teamwork by forming a company and dealing with various aspects of its day-to-day functions. Towards the end, you will form a business plan and present it before a panel of investors and experts in a competition that resembles Shark Tank! Additionally, the curriculum will also feature planned excursions and workshops to further develop your understanding of the subjects!
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: July 7 - July 25; August 27 - December 10
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-7
Fee: Free
Location: Virtual (Summer) and Stanford, CA (Fall Semester)
The Stanford Middle School Scholars Program (SMSSP) is a multi-disciplinary program which caters to middle school students. The program is divided into two sessions. During the three-week summer program, students engage in 3-hour virtual sessions with their instructors. Later, in the Fall Semester, you will meet with your instructor once in a week for an hour-long session after school. Through a combination of interactive classroom sessions and hands-on activities, you will learn about subjects like democracy, history, and mathematics from reputed academicians.Â
Acceptance Rate: Not selective, but limited spots are available to students from each nationality.
Dates: July 13 - August 3
Application Deadline: Unspecified
Eligibility: Students aged 13 - 18 years.
Fee: Tuition Fee: $8,800; Enrollment Fee: $500
Location: Yale University, CT
Yale University’s International Summer School is a summer program that caters to middle school and high school students across the globe. In the 3-week program hosted at Yale University, you will be expected to pick an academic option and an elective option of your choice. With options like debate, creative writing, study skills, business & entrepreneurship and outdoor leadership, the program’s curriculum includes leadership activities. Students also participate in workshops, cultural trips, and other activities.Â
Acceptance Rate: Not Selective
Dates: July 7 - July 11
Application Deadline:Â Unspecified, but early enrollment is advised.Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
Fee:Â $275
Location: UCSD Division of Extended Studies, University of San Diego, CA
UC San Diego’s Entrepreneurship for Young Innovators is a week-long summer program for middle school students. Through 3-hour afternoon sessions, students learn how to refine business ideas and create adept business plans. The course also delves into the importance of marketing, financial planning, budgeting, and more! You will also engage in running your own mini-business while applying your learnings from the program, thereby testing your leadership skills! The curriculum also aims to hone your creativity, teamwork, and critical thinking skills.Â
Acceptance Rate: Not Selective
Dates: June 9 - June 20
Application Deadline:Â Unspecified
Eligibility: Students aged 12-14
Fee:Â $2,995
Location: Virtual
Discover Business Academy, an initiative by World Scholars Academy, is a 2-week summer course for middle school students. Through 2-hour live online sessions over ten days, you will learn fundamental concepts in business and economics. In particular, students delve into finance & investing, macroeconomics, branding & marketing, leadership, and more!Â
You will also get a chance to test your mettle and engage in a leadership activity through the final business start-up challenge! Through separate one-to-one tutorials and no more than 6 people in a class, the course also ensures that the queries and concerns of each student are taken care of adequately!Â
Acceptance Rate: Not Selective
Dates: Multiple programs between May and July, more details here.
Application Deadline:Â No deadline, but limited seats available.
Eligibility: Students in grades 7-12
Fee:Â $350 (Need-based scholarship available)
Location: Arizona State University
Arizona University’s 4-day summer programs in Logic, Leadership & Life Skills provide middle school students with the opportunity to obtain licensed professional development training. During the 4-day program, you will engage in hands-on activities, guest lectures, and team-building exercises.Â
The curriculum teaches students about decision-making, understanding strengths & weaknesses, self-expression, conflict resolution, and more! Students will receive a Leadership Training certificate, booklets, and curriculum materials upon completing the program!
Acceptance Rate: Not Selective
Dates: Multiple sessions between June and August spanning 1-4 weeks, more details here.
Cost: $1,795
Application Deadline: Varies as per cohort, more details here.
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and above
Location:Â Virtual
Georgetown University’s Becoming an Entrepreneur course caters to aspiring entrepreneurs currently in middle school and high school. Through 20 to 30 hours of instruction time, you will engage with the fundamentals of business and entrepreneurship. You will learn more about identifying market needs, targeting customers, curating a business pitch, creating business plans, different business models, communicating product stories, and more!Â
In the form of a final capstone project, you will get the opportunity to create and present your own business idea and receive important feedback. You will also be guided by an expert mentor throughout the course.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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