Host a Summer Leadership Academy in Your Community
Organize, Lead, Mentor, Inspire Action!
As a Summer Leadership Academy host city coordinator, you will have the opportunity to design and facilitate a community-oriented week-long summer program for high school students in your city. Working as a team, you and 2-4 of your peers will take action as grassroots organizers to: develop a curriculum, recruit and mentor student participants, forge relationships with community stakeholders, lead summer program activities and so much more!
Host city coordinators receive…
- Leadership and field organizing training via our Thriving in the Field course.
- An opportunity for a paid Everytown Summer Leadership Academy internship (upon completion of Thriving in the Field).
- Full access to Students Demand Action/Everytown for Gun Safety resources including a program budget.
- Mentorship from Everytown staff team members.
- An opportunity to develop your professional skills as an organizer, mentor and leader.
- Experience working in the field to support youth in the Gun Violence Prevention movement.
While no prior experience in gun violence prevention or leadership is required to be a host city coordinator, the strongest candidates will demonstrate a passion for and commitment to gun violence prevention and/or community advocacy.
Become a Host
Our application process is simple and designed to showcase your leadership skills. We are committed to respecting your time and providing ongoing support throughout the application process.
To start the host city coordinator application process, click the link below and complete the brief application form, this should take no longer than 3-5 minutes.
Once your application is received, a member of our team will be in touch to schedule an interview in which we’ll further discuss your interest in hosting a Summer Leadership Academy, why you think young people in your community could benefit from a Summer Leadership Academy and both the process and commitment associated with leading a Summer Leadership Academy in your community.
The Application Process
- Application opens on Monday, September 11, 2023.
- Application closes on Monday, November 27, 2023.
- Our team will be in touch with all applicants on a rolling basis to schedule an interview.
Host city coordinator applicants will be notified of their final status by December 11, 2023.
Thriving in the Field
We’re committed to equipping you with everything that you need to be a successful leader and grassroots gun sense organizer. Thriving in the Field is a weekend-long crash-course January 12-15, 2024 facilitated by Students Demand Action team members that covers everything you need to know to recruit, plan, and run a Summer Leadership Academy. You’ll also spend time one-on-one with the Summer Leadership Academy Campaigns Associate fine-tuning and creating plans for your program, as well as getting to meet and collaborate with other host city coordinators.
Thriving in the Field is a prerequisite course for a paid Everytown Summer Leadership Academy internship. It is available for host city coordinator applicants only.
Meet Our Alumni
“It was rocky at first because we didn’t know each other, but as time went by we got closer and closer…eventually we became a family.”
“I truly enjoyed my role as Program Manager for the South-Central Summer Leadership Academy. At first, I was very nervous because I knew it would take a lot of effort but being organized and staying ahead really helped our team become better and transition throughout the events with ease. Thinking back about everything we did this summer; I am proud of the amazing students I was able to mentor and lead.”
“I encourage anyone who wants to give back to their community to host a summer program. For me, the academy was very educational. I went from knowing little about the gun violence prevention movement to understanding how my friends and I can make a social impact. As a core team leader you will also learn skills that will help you in life.”
“It was so rewarding seeing how the space we created helped the students grow intellectually by learning skills and socially by building relationships with one another.”
“I wanted to learn how to create my own service projects and effectively solve the issues I cared about most. I learned that, and more. Not only did I learn what problems run deep in our society and what to do about them, but this experience made me feel more comfortable with talking about the prejudice I see and have experienced. With this knowledge, I now feel more empowered to facilitate change and more passionate about gun sense.”
“As we got deeper into the program those friendships turned into family and through my personal experiences, I could tell the people that I surrounded myself for those few months really cared for me as I did for them.”
Frequently Asked Questions
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How old do I need to be to host the 2024 Summer Leadership Academy?
Host city coordinators need to have graduated high school and be at least 18 years of age by January 1, 2024.
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What’s the time commitment to host a summer program?
Host city coordinators selected for a paid internship will be expected to dedicate 15-20 hours a week to their role between January and August 2024.
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How much organizing or advocacy experience do I need to qualify for the application?
No organizing or advocacy experience is required to host a Summer Leadership Academy program. We will happily provide you with mentoring, training, and resources at no cost so that you can run a successful summer program.
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What resources are available to host city leaders?
Host city coordinators selected for a paid internship, will have access to mentorship from supervisory staff at Everytown for Gun Safety and development of professional skills in the nonprofit sector.