About the Sustainable Student Leadership Club®
The Sustainable Student Leadership Club® is offered by the Ideal Student Initiative® as an extracurricular activity for grades 6-12 that provides a curriculum to develop and encourage leadership roles in school and community sustainability issues. This unique and exciting extracurricular program provides a course of study to develop and encourage leadership roles in school and community sustainability issues. By creating and implementing projects that effect positive change, students are empowered to take action.

The materials are designed to be used in the format of a club, but the materials can be used individually in a classroom, or in an after school or summer program.

This club is entirely student directed with a school official who serves as ‘advisor’ for the group. The Sustainable Student Leadership Club® materials guide the group, meeting by meeting, through a series of discussions and activities that lead them to create, conduct and evaluate a sustainability project.

The Sustainable Student Leadership Club® materials are designed to provide:
- Detailed education on sustainability, including topics such as energy and water conservation,
waste, recycling. Every topic will connect with how it relates to an individual, school, business
and government and how each can show leadership in the area
- A knowledge base sufficient to launch students’ research on sustainability issues
- Improved communication skills with peers and adults
- Encouragement for student to engage in:
- Critical thinking skills
- Creative problem solving techniques
- Innovative thought
- Create leadership roles in the areas of:
- Project Development
- Management
- Evaluation

Club Course Material Overview
The club has course materials for two levels – middle school and high school. The materials will lead the students in the following:
- One Yearly Project, with two months being allowed for planning through completion:
- Year one – Individual/home
- Year two – Community/government
- Year three – Business
- Monthly activities will cover these topics:
- Energy
- Water
- Waste
- Recycle/reuse
- Sustainability
- Social responsibility
Leadership Categories have different activities for the above topics :
- Individual Leadership
- School Leadership
- Community Leadership
- Business Leadership
- Government Leadership
- Global Leadership

Clubs will meet weekly every month of the year. The materials span eight months out of the nine month school year.

Clubs set goals for how many steps they wish to climb on the Leadership Ladder. Steps are climbed by earning points for completed activities as followed:
- Step 1 – 12 points, two from each of the six Leadership Categories
- Step 2 – 24 points, four from each of the six Leadership Categories
- Step 3 – 36 points, this rigorous level requires all course materials in every category to be completed
In addition to the projects, Clubs must complete the yearly project.

Recognition is given to all clubs who reach the various Steps of the Leadership Ladder on the Ideal Student Initiative® website and in My Ideal Planet®.

Different course materials are provided for each of the three year cycles. The sustainability topics stay the same, but the activities for each change yearly and continue to incorporate each of the six Leadership Categories.

At the completion of a club’s third year, they will repeat the course materials so as new grade levels continue to enter, they are exposed to all of the individuals projects. Fourth year high school programs may repeat or elect to participate in the Sustainable Student Leadership Challenge. In the Challenge, students will use the knowledge they have gained to create, plan, and implement a sustainable project geared for an individual, community/government or business. Their project will be submitted for competition and the winner will receive a monetary award to be used for the implementation of their project. After the Challenge year, the advisor will determine where the ability of the club is at that time, based on leadership and experience in the group, and can opt to repeat the course materials or to enter another Challenge the next year.

Your Next Step
There is no fee to enroll in the Sustainable Student Leadership Club®, but all clubs must register in order to  receive recognition for their Steps up the Leadership Ladder, and to participate in the 4th year Challenge at the high school level.

Click here to register for the Club. Once you have registered, you will be able to download all of the materials you need to get started.

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