LEAD STL

LEAD STL Empowering youth to create a more just and connected St. Louis since 2004.

Formerly known as Cultural Leadership, we build courage, challenge injustice, and foster empathy through immersive learning and leadership development for middle & high students.

Camp LEAD Summer 2026 | Registration Now Open! ☀️This summer, middle school students from across the St. Louis region wi...
04/14/2026

Camp LEAD Summer 2026 | Registration Now Open! ☀️

This summer, middle school students from across the St. Louis region will come together for four weeks of leadership, creativity, and community through Camp LEAD.

Camp LEAD is more than a summer camp—it’s a place where young people build confidence, explore identity and social justice, and develop leadership skills through hands-on workshops, creative projects, and field trips across St. Louis.

Open to rising 6th–8th graders for the 2026–2027 school year from schools across Missouri and Illinois.

📍 Location: Brittany Woods Middle School (8125 Groby Rd., University City, MO 63130)

🤩 Session 1: Identifying You + Belonging - July 6-10
🎭 Session 2: Art as Resistance - July 13-17
📣 Session 3: Speak Truth to Power - July 20-24
🎨Session 4: Activism Through Art with Brock Seals - July
27-31

Campers can attend one week or all four!

🏷️$350/week, limited scholarships are available.

Discover your voice. Build your community. Lead with purpose.

🔗 Visit leadstl.org/camp to learn more and find full camp descriptions! 💙

As part of the Cultural Leadership Fellowship and LEAD Parkway programs, students participate in our annual School Swap ...
04/13/2026

As part of the Cultural Leadership Fellowship and LEAD Parkway programs, students participate in our annual School Swap experience, bringing together high school students from more than fifteen public and private schools across the St. Louis region.

Through this signature immersive experience, students step into each other’s school communities for a day, attending classes, building relationships, and engaging in meaningful dialogue across differences.

Grounded in our Courageous Conversations model, students reflect on identity, belonging, and the diverse experiences that shape our region, building the empathy and leadership needed to bridge divides and lead social change.

This is what it looks like to learn with one another and to build a more just and connected St. Louis. 💛

This spring, our Cultural Leadership Fellowship Class 21 students stepped into each other’s traditions through our signa...
04/13/2026

This spring, our Cultural Leadership Fellowship Class 21 students stepped into each other’s traditions through our signature Holiday Swap experience, sharing religion and culture while attending Palm Sunday, Easter, and the first and second nights of Passover with curiosity, respect, and openness. 💙

As part of a 10-month program, students engage in a range of immersive learning experiences that bring together 10th and 11th graders from all backgrounds, developing leaders who exhibit empathy, foster advocacy, and value diversity. ✨

🚌 LEAD Parkway | St. Louis Journey 🚌In February, LEAD Parkway Class 3 participated in their St. Louis Journey, a three-d...
04/11/2026

🚌 LEAD Parkway | St. Louis Journey 🚌

In February, LEAD Parkway Class 3 participated in their St. Louis Journey, a three-day immersive retreat exploring advocacy, history, and leadership across our region.

Students met with St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and members of St. Louis County leadership team to learn about local government and the importance of civic engagement. They also visited the National Blues Museum, explored the Mill Creek: Black Metropolis exhibit at the Missouri History Museum, and attended the world premiere of A Brick and a Bible, a new play by Kathryn Bentley and Colin McLaughlin Action Art Collaborative, which tells the story of the 1933 Funsten Nut Strike led by Black women in St. Louis

The Journey concluded with a bus tour of The Ville and East St. Louis in partnership with 4theville, where students examined the lasting impact of segregation and disinvestment while learning about the resilience and leadership that continue to shape these communities.

Through reflection and dialogue, students deepened their understanding of our region’s history and the role they can play in building a more just and connected future. 💙

04/09/2026

✨ LEAD Parkway | St. Louis Journey Day 1 ✨

In February, LEAD Parkway Class 3 began their three-day St. Louis Journey exploring advocacy, history, and leadership across our region.

Students visited the Office of St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, where they met with members of the St. Louis County leadership team and discussed how local government works and how young people can engage with elected officials to create change in their communities.

The day continued with a visit to the National Blues Museum, where students explored how the Blues has shaped American music and served as a powerful tool for storytelling and social change.

Day one set the stage for a weekend of learning, reflection, and leadership. 💙 Parkway Schools

Please join us in congratulating Kelly L. Laura, our Executive Director, on graduating from the Rekindle Fellowship Coho...
03/11/2026

Please join us in congratulating Kelly L. Laura, our Executive Director, on graduating from the Rekindle Fellowship Cohort 2, a program of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis (JCRC)!! 👏🏾👏🏾

Rekindle brings emerging leaders from the Black and Jewish communities together for thoughtful dialogue, relationship building, and collective action. ✨ The program is rooted in the belief that by rekindling the strong partnerships between Black and Jewish leaders that helped shape the Civil Rights Movement, communities can work together to advance equity and strengthen relationships across difference. 🫶🏾

We are grateful to JCRC and the Rekindle team for creating this meaningful space for learning, connection, and collaboration, and proud of Kelly for representing LEAD STL in this important work. ✨

🧠✨Get ready for a night of friendly competition, big laughs, and community impact! 🧠✨ Join us for our Annual Trivia Nigh...
03/11/2026

🧠✨Get ready for a night of friendly competition, big laughs, and community impact! 🧠✨

Join us for our Annual Trivia Night, featuring pop culture trivia, raffle prizes, and a room full of community members coming together for a great cause. 💙

Bring a team of 10, or sign up as an individual or small group and we’ll help form a team for you.

🏆 Prizes:

🎉 First place team wins back the cost of their table ($300)

🎉 Second place team wins back half the table price ($150)

There will also be raffles, games, LEAD STL merch, and opportunities to meet alumni, board members, and staff!!

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now 👉🏾 www.leadstl.org/events.

All proceeds support scholarships for LEAD STL students, helping to make participation possible for young leaders from across the St. Louis region. ✨

💡 Want to get involved? 💡

✨ Become an event sponsor
✨ Donate raffle items, snacks, or beverages
✨Volunteer the night of the event

Grab your team and join us for a fun night supporting the next generation of changemakers. Hope to see you there! 💙

03/09/2026

In early February, Cultural Leadership Fellowship Class 21 gathered at Central Reform Congregation to explore the evolving relationship between Black and Jewish communities, examining shared struggles, moments of solidarity, and the complexities that have shaped their history. ✨

Through interactive activities and dialogue, students explored key moments in Black and Jewish history in the United States and reflected on how different forms of oppression and resilience have shaped both communities. 🫶🏾

Students also heard from Rabbi Randy Fleisher, who shared historical context and personal perspectives on moments of collaboration and tension between the communities.

The session concluded with a creative empathy activity, where students worked together to reflect on what solidarity and allyship can look like in their schools and communities.

Class 21 continues to lean into courageous dialogue and thoughtful leadership as they imagine a more connected future. 💙

✨ LEAD Parkway Religious Services & Cultural Retreat ✨In January, LEAD Parkway students participated in a Religious Serv...
03/09/2026

✨ LEAD Parkway Religious Services & Cultural Retreat ✨

In January, LEAD Parkway students participated in a Religious Services & Cultural Retreat Weekend focused on exploring faith, history, and identity across communities.

Students attended Kabbalat Shabbat at Central Reform Congregation, engaged in dialogue with Rabbi Randy Fleisher, visited the St. Louis Kaplan-Feldman Holocaust Museum, and concluded the weekend with Sunday worship at Greater Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church and conversation with Rev. Dr. Earl E. Nance, Jr.

Through these shared experiences, students deepened empathy, strengthened relationships, and practiced learning with one another rather than simply about one another. 💙

11/30/2025

Congratulations to the remarkable Cultural Leadership Class 20 Fellows! 🎉

We are so proud of your growth, your courage, and your commitment to meaningful change. ✨ And a heartfelt thank you to the village that made this year possible—our dedicated facilitators, transformational journey leaders, guest speakers, community partners, and every family member and supporter who poured into these students along the way. 💙

The Cultural Leadership Fellowship is built on one belief: silence is the best friend of oppression—and our students refuse to be silent. ✨

At their final Courageous Conversation and Graduation, Class 20 demonstrated what 420+ hours of immersive learning, leadership development, and cross-community connection can do.

Surrounded by families, friends, and board members, students led powerful conversations on:

✨ Representation in Education
✨ Cancel Culture
✨ Inequalities in Schools
✨ The Wealth Gap
✨ Allyship

These conversations are more than a milestone; they are a promise. Our Fellows are ready to stand up, speak out, and take action in their communities—leading with empathy, practicing advocacy, and honoring diversity.

🎥: .media

Address

P. O. Box 63215
St. Louis, MO
63163

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+13143548236

Website

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