Leadership doesn't start in a classroom. It starts in service.
VLEAD is a youth leadership program that puts students in real volunteer roles — because the fastest way to grow as a leader is to be needed by someone else.
Started by educators who believed students needed more than a resume line.
VLEAD began as a single after-school volunteer club and has grown into a structured leadership program partnering with dozens of community organizations. What hasn't changed is the belief that runs through everything we do: students rise to the level of responsibility they're given.
Rather than treating community service as a box to check, VLEAD builds it into a full experience — with coaching, reflection, and a clear track for students to grow from participant to student leader to program mentor.
Read our full mission statementA decade of student-led service
A single after-school club
VLEAD starts as a weekly volunteer club at one high school, with 18 founding students.
First partner network
VLEAD formalizes partnerships with local nonprofits and becomes a structured, credit-eligible program.
Regional expansion
The program expands to three additional school districts across the region.
Student mentor track launches
Graduating VLEAD students can now return as paid peer mentors for incoming cohorts.
480+ students strong
VLEAD now partners with over 20 community organizations across the region.
Want to see the program up close?
Meet the people who guide it, the organizations who partner with us, and the students who lead it.