At a time when Cleveland hopes to expand and retain its pool of local talented leaders, Esperanza is promoting a program that encourages leadership, action, and service among young men. The ELLOS Program is a leadership program which brings together adults with high school youth. This program encourages leadership, action, and service among young men.
Esperanza’s leadership clubs provide at-risk, inner-city youth with a positive alternative to gangs, violence, and dropping out of school. It creates a nurturing peer supported environment for students of high school age and encourages them to stay in school and develop their leadership skills.
Our purpose: Development and Encouragement
By providing teenagers with leadership and educational resources, students increase knowledge and expand their awareness of the common challenges and opportunities before them.
Our format: Hands-on, real-world, and in-person
- Both clubs meet monthly in groups of approximately 20 to discuss issues affecting their lives and learn
from role models in their community. - A community leader volunteers as coordinator of program activities to deliver the leadership-training
lesson and skill-development exercises. - Guest speakers are invited to present topics relevant to young students and allow for group discussion,
brainstorming, and problem-solving. - At the middle of the school year, participants select a leadership project they believe can impact their
community. Adult mentors are selected from various professions to guide the students in their projects. - At the year’s end, students participate in a community project and demonstrate their leadership skills.
Our sessions and curriculum: Personal and practical
- Personal Development Topics
- Shared Experiences and how they impact family and community
- Understanding the principles of leadership (position, relationships, successes, and production)
- Higher education (information, options, and procedures)
- Building consensus and managing conflict
- Understanding how culture impacts leadership
- Personal health and safety
For more information, or to register, contact our Mentoring staff.