Champion Leadership Pathway

For Students in 9th Grade through College

At Better Than School, we believe young people aren’t just the leaders of tomorrow—they’re already leading today. Through our Champion Leadership Pathway, students in grades 9 through college gain the skills, experiences, and support needed to become confident leaders, powerful mentors, and bold changemakers in their communities.

The journey begins with our Train-the-Trainer: Champion Leadership Program, where students are selected and trained to serve as Champions—our internal youth staff. Champions are paid youth leaders who gain real workforce experience while making a meaningful impact in their communities. They work directly with younger students in our afterschool and summer programs, taking on real responsibility while being supported by caring mentors.

Champions receive hands-on training in instructional strategies, youth engagement, communication, and professionalism—all while growing as leaders and role models.
But the journey doesn’t stop there.

Each year, Champions also take center stage as the driving force behind the Let’s Get Into Good Trouble Youth Leadership Conference—a youth-led event inspired by civil rights icon John Lewis and his call to “make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” From planning and workshop design to keynote selection and day-of execution, Champions lead every aspect of the conference, curating sessions on social justice, leadership, self-advocacy, and civic engagement.

Together, these two experiences form a unified, powerful model of youth development:

• Train and work as a paid Champion, gaining real-world leadership and job experience

• Mentor and teach younger students, becoming role models within our organization

• Lead and inspire at the Good Trouble Conference, creating space for real conversations and real change

• Grow personally and professionally, supported by a team of adult mentors and a community of peers

Whether in the classroom, on a stage, or out in the community, Champions are prepared to lead with purpose, serve with compassion, and advocate with courage.

This is more than a leadership program—it’s a movement of young people learning to lead and leading to transform.​

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