The Key Leader program is built on five essential principles. These principles reflect our mission to inspire young people to achieve their personal best through service leadership:

• Personal Integrity: Doing the right thing
• Personal Growth: Developing in mind, body, and spirit
• Respect: Showing consideration for self, others, and property
• Building Community: Developing relationships to achieve positive goals
• Pursuit of Excellence: Expecting and achieving the best

How does Key Leader impact youth? It helps participants in developing important social and emotional skills, which allow them to understand self and develop meaningful connections with others. These skills enable young people to calm themselves when angry, initiate friendships, resolve relationship conflicts respectfully, and make ethical and safe choices.

The five core categories of social and emotional learning are listed below. The skill sets that are emphasized through participation in Key Leader are italicized.

SELF-AWARENESS – Accurately accessing one’s feelings, interests, values, and strengths/abilities, and maintaining a well-grounded sense of self-confidence.

SELF-MANAGEMENT – Regulating one’s emotions to handle stress, control impulses, and persevere in overcoming obstacles; setting personal goals and academic goals and then monitoring one’s progress toward achieving them. The ability to express emotions constructively.

SOCIAL AWARENESS – Taking the perspective of empathizing with others; recognizing and appreciating individual and group similarities and differences; identifying the following social standards of conduct; and recognizing and using family, school, and community resources.

RELATIONSHIP SKILLS – Establishing and maintaining healthy and rewarding relationships based on cooperation; resisting inappropriate social pressure; preventing, managing, and resolving interpersonal conflict; and seeking help when needed.

RESPONSIBLE DECISION-MAKING – Making decisions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, appropriate standards of conduct, respect for others, and likely consequences of various actions; applying decision-making skills to academic and social situations; and contributing to the well-being of one’s school and community.