CRSL
Leadership | ReLationship| communication
The Culturally Responsive Student Leadership (CRSL) programming is geared toward students in grades 4th-6th. Establishing a shared understanding and common language can help increase our student’s ability to take on multiple perspectives, build empathy, and strengthen interpersonal relationships; all attributes of effective leadership. This programming will provide myriad opportunities for students to share about their own culture, identity, values, leadership and communication styles as well as learn about their peers to develop effective leadership skills to be culturally responsive student leaders of the 21st century.
Like all of StoryArk’s programming, CRSL is embedded within StoryArk’s student-initiated, student-led creative process. It is not a top-down approach whereby schools or StoryArk attempt to tell students what to think or do, but rather, CRSL supports students in developing their leadership skills by creating space for students to share about themselves, learn about their classmates, and grow in empathy and understanding towards each other. Through conversations, activities, and games around the topics detailed below, students are empowered, uplifted, and amplified in their experience as everyday leaders.
See overview of lessons below
CRSL includes six lessons:
Click below to read about our lesson plans
Lesson 1: Leadership
Students create definitions of what a leader is, identify characteristics (traits) of a good leader, give examples of leaders they know, and share stories and experiences of a time they were a leader.
Lesson 2: Personal values
Students identify values – standards of behavior considered important to them and their families – and discuss with their classmates why. They share how their values impact their lives and the way they act. See
the list of possible values students draw from by clicking here. This list is used as a brainstorming tool, students are invited to add values of their own to this list.
Lesson 3: Personal identities and cultures
Students reflect on roles (family roles, job, duties, etc) and cultural identities (language, location, age, etc.) hobbies, passions, interests, and how this is lived out in their lives.
Lesson 4: Intent vs. Impact
Students will learn the difference between intent and impact and brainstorm ways to bring them into alignment.
Lesson 5: Communication
Students focus on communication styles (restrained and expressive) and reflect on which communication styles they use in different settings.
Our definition of communication styles
Expressive: outward display and expression of emotions, thoughts, and feelings
Restrained: internalized emotions, thoughts, and feelings
Lesson 6: Tying it all together
We build on all the lessons and discuss how these concepts relate to leadership. We create space for students to tell their story through writing a letter about themselves as a leader to their future selves or someone that they know.
Definition of Terms
values: a person’s standards of behavior and judgment of what is important in life; the things that guide our thoughts, actions, motivations, and attitudes.
identity: the qualities, beliefs, passions, personality traits, appearance, etc that characterize a person. The unique pieces that come together to make us, us.
culture: patterns of behavior for a group of people, including the foods they eat, language they speak, traditions they practice, beliefs they hold, etc.
intent: Intent is doing something on purpose
impact: Impact is how actions effect others.
restrained communication: internalized emotions, thoughts, and feelings
expressive communication: outward display and expression of emotions, thoughts, and feelings
For more information please contact Meghan at mbridges@storyark.org