summer leadership program
Developing skills for life beyond the classroom
A six-week summer experience for learning, leadership, creativity, and community.
Founded in 2013, the Summer Leadership Academy (SLA) builds on gains made during the school year. During the SLA, teens gain academic skills, learn how to leverage their voices to serve the community and prepare for life beyond high school. The SLA brings together young people from Reach’s school-year sites for a rigorous and engaging summer experience.
Teen Philanthropy Challenge
During our summer program, $5,000 is donated to Reach for our tutors to give away in the form of grants. In teams, Reach teens are tasked with researching local issues they care about that affect their community. Small groups of teens research and choose an organization, then produce short pitches on behalf of. They spend six weeks working on this public speaking pitch, and then present it in front of an audience.
This competition is an opportunity for teens to learn about organizations doing critical work in the community tackling some of the biggest challenges impacting the area.
Teen Philanthropy Challenge 2026 - The Woodson Center
Check out past years below.
