Teen Leadership and Community Involvement
Personal Opportunities for Leadership Activities, Recreation, Inclusion and Social Skills (Grades 7 to 9)
Fall 2025 Schedule
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Thursdays
Empowering teens to lead, connect, and make a difference in their community— all on their own terms!
Summary of Important Details:
- Age: For teens in grades 7-9
- Date: Thursdays from 6:00pm- 7:45pm
- Duration: 7 weeks.
- Location: Foothills Academy Society
- Focus: Leadership, independence, community involvement, and peer connections
- Format: Participant-led, with activities chosen and organized by participants, guided by counsellors
- Example Activities: Goal setting and planning, giving back to the community (donation boxes, volunteering, etc), cooking, baking, game facilitation for children, board game nights, peer-led activities, etc.
- Cost: $300
About
The POLARIS Program is designed for teens with ADHD and/ or Learning Disabilities seeking a meaningful, hands-on experience to build leadership skills, friendships and foster independence. In this 6- 8 week, student-led program, teens collaborate with each other and counsellors to create their own roadmap for personal growth, social connection, and community impact. From planning volunteer projects to organizing events for younger children, the teens decide how they want to achieve their goals, discovering their unique strengths and passions along the way.
At the start of each session, teens review the program’s core goals: building independence, leadership, and essential life skills. These goals are kept intentionally broad, allowing the group to choose their own paths to achieving them. Working collaboratively with staff, teens brainstorm ways to accomplish each goal and identify the skills they’ll need to do so. This approach has led to creative activities like cooking a family meal to develop health and lifestyle skills, dining out to learn social etiquette, purchasing items for donation and building a budget to do so effectively, designing and leading games to build public speaking and facilitation skills—plus much more.
Whether they’re preparing meals together, building donation boxes, or creating games to share with younger groups, each activity is an opportunity to practice decision-making, collaboration, compromise, and self-advocacy. With support from our dedicated counsellors, teens gain confidence, make friends, and experience the power of giving back in ways that resonate with them.
Intake Criteria
Children and youth in grades 3 - 12 can attend Amicus Recreation programs if they meet our Intake Criteria. If your child has not participated in an Amicus or social skills program through Foothills Academy before, the first step is to complete the Intake process prior to registration taking place.