Who are you becoming as a leader?

One question, asked four times, at four levels of consequence. Emerge Philadelphia is the umbrella organization behind a developmental leadership pipeline that starts in a sixth-grade classroom and does not stop until it reaches public service.

Learn More

Who are you becoming as a leader?

Learn More

Younger students are not smaller graduate students.

They need the same leadership architecture, translated into developmentally appropriate questions, experiences, language, and applications. That is the whole design. A sixth grader sorting what she controls from what she cannot is doing the work a deputy commissioner does with a stakeholder map — the same muscle, a different room.

The Pipeline

Middle School

“Who am I, what matters to me, and how do I treat and influence others?”

The Pipeline

Middle School

“Who am I, what matters to me, and how do I treat and influence others?”

The Pipeline

High School

“Who am I becoming, and how do I use my influence?”

The Pipeline

High School

“Who am I becoming, and how do I use my influence?”

The Pipeline

College

“How do I practice leadership and use my influence responsibly?”

The Pipeline

College

“How do I practice leadership and use my influence responsibly?”

The Pipeline

MPA

“What responsibility comes with my leadership?”

The Pipeline

MPA

“What responsibility comes with my leadership?”

How the Translation is Done

A pipeline is only a pipeline if a student can move through it without falling out between levels. Support at every level creates a sense of community among emerging leaders.

Middle School

Concrete → Experiential → Relational

Games, scenarios, movement, art, peer interaction, short reflection, and visible products. Concepts stay connected to school, friendships, family, teams, community, and online life.

High School

Reflective → Applied → Future-Oriented

Cases, debates, career scenarios, ethical dilemmas, leadership portfolios, peer feedback, and community challenges. Today's choices connect to the person and professional students are becoming.

College

Practice → Influence → Professional Identity

Leadership concepts applied through internships, student organizations, civic engagement, team projects, and professional decision-making.

MPA

Purpose → Institutions → Complexity → Public Impact

The same architecture applied to organizational culture, public service, policy, ethics, power, stakeholder management, transition, reputation, and legacy.