Leadership Programs

Through Neutral Zone’s leadership programs, youth have genuine opportunities to participate and engage in opportunities to improve their community. Building on their own interest and passions, youth identify needs, set goals, create plans, and work together to create community change.

Neutral Zone’s Leadership Programs provide teens the opportunity to realize their role to create positive community through service, social justice actions and dialogue. Teens build a more conscientious community, advocate for a cause, and develop valuable leadership skills. Across a myriad of interests and passions, teens take the lead in the following programs:

Teen Advisory Council, Tuesdays, 7-8:30pm
Supporting NZ’s mission to be youth-driven, TAC serves as program advisors to the NZ Board of Directors. TAC approves, funds, and leads the evaluation to provide future recommendations. TAC teens play a vital leadership role that drives NZ’s success.

North Star, Tuesdays 4:30-6pm
An open discussion group just for young women. Discussions are informative, fun and positive; in an atmosphere that is comfortable and conducive to meaningful conversations. Through these conversations, North Star works to build a stronger community of young women.

Riot Youth, Fridays, 4-6pm
Engage in a youth-run safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning youth and their allies. Through leadership skill building, community organizing, networking, and socializing, Riot Youth connects youth to build an inclusive community. Teens also engage in social justice through theater, dialogue, lobbying and other advocacy efforts.

SEED (Students Educating Each other about Diversity), Wednesdays 6-8pm; interview required.
SEED participants build a close knit community to explore their experiences and expand their understanding of diversity. Then, in partnership with the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, SEED teens create workshops to engage student groups who visit the RACE Exhibit at the museum as a catalyst to work toward creating more inclusive school communities.