-
-
Horizontal Logo
Moravian Academy Logo
-
Moravian Academy in Action
Introducing BraveMinds: A New Leadership Experience for Rising 7th & 8th Graders
This August, Moravian Academy is bringing BraveMinds to campus for the first time. This is a four-day leadership program built specifically for rising 7th and 8th graders, in partnership with idealis, a leadership advisory firm advising some of the worlds’ most influential leaders and companies. Over twenty years of experience in the world of work revealed a simple truth: The world needs more brave leaders.
At Moravian, we know that bravery is built from within, and the seeds are planted early in life by all of us as educators, parents and community members. BraveMinds takes the
human-centered leadership approach that idealis offers to senior executives around the world, and has redesigned it specifically for middle schoolers. The program has been built by educators, psychologists, and scientists to meet 7th and 8th graders at the moment when their sense of self, voice, and confidence are still taking shape.
It rests on four simple convictions: that leadership identity begins to take shape in adolescence, that leadership is about balancing high performance with high humanity, that leading in a community is more powerful than leading alone, and that the world needs more cohorts of humans (young and old) who are brave enough to do the work to make the world a better place, together.
Over four days, students move through four core experiences, grounded in fun,
hands-on learning, activities, and dialogue:
Day 1 — Know Yourself. Naming the values, strengths, and emotions that anchor confident leadership.
Day 2 — Connect with Others. Listening deeply, having hard conversations, and building
genuine trust.
Day 3 — The Courage Lab: Find Your Brave. A real challenge, with a real team, that shows students what they can do when they decide to be brave enough to try.
Day 4 —Being Brave in Practice. Leaving with a clear sense of their leadership style, and a plan for how they want to show up and make a difference in the communities around them.
A few key details for families:
- Open to all rising 7th and 8th graders. No prior experience needed — students come as they are.
- The only requirement is that they want to be at BraveMinds, are motivated to learn more about themselves as leaders, and aspire to be leaders in their school and community.
- The program runs August 11–14 on the Merle-Smith campus.
- Offered at a nominal cost of $100 per student, covering program logistics, materials, speakers, and a t-shirt and journal for each participant. Financial assistance is available for any family who needs it.
- Spots are limited. Students complete a brief application to help the BraveMinds team get to know each participant before the program begins.
To learn more, ask questions, and meet the program leaders, please join us:
7:00–8:00 PM
You can also learn more anytime at brave-minds.org.
We hope to see you at the info session.
