A summer leadership program for high school students in Austin, led by college fellows who were recently in their shoes. Students build confidence, learn how health really works, and discover they can lead change in their own community right now.
Questions first? Request information or call (512) 925-3978.
You care about your community, or you are curious about health, careers, or making a difference. You do not need to be the loudest person in the room. This program is where quiet leaders find their voice.
Ask a teacher, counselor, coach, or pastor to nominate you.
Your teen spends the summer learning useful life skills: how to care for their health, how to speak up, and how to work with a team. Sessions are interactive and age-appropriate, with guidance from C2H.
Complete the parent and guardian formKnow a student with potential who could use a push? A nomination takes a few minutes and could open a door they did not know was there.
Nominate a high school studentThe Summer Leadership Program is one of the most hands-on health education programs in Travis County. Every session mixes discussion, group activities, and practice, so students learn by doing instead of just listening.
Lessons are culturally responsive. They reflect the families, neighborhoods, and health challenges students actually know.
Students practice communication, teamwork, and decision making. They learn the everyday habits that make someone a leader others trust.
Students learn everyday wellness habits and how to find, understand, and use reliable health information for themselves and their families.
Where do you go for care, and how do families get help paying for it? Students explore the health system the same way our Medical Access Program helps families navigate it.
Students look at health issues in their own neighborhoods and explore local leadership opportunities to help solve them.
Each stage prepares students for the next, moving from self, to systems, to service.
Students get to know their mentors and each other, set goals, and start building leadership skills and a sense of purpose.
Session theme example: Building leaders and creating community impact
Students learn how health care works, why some families struggle to get care, and what can change that.
Session theme example: Health care access, community change, and future leaders
Students connect what they learned to real needs in their community and practice leading as a team.
Session theme example: Understanding health care access and creating community change
Exact dates, times, and session topics are listed in the tentative program schedule (PDF).
Summer sessions are facilitated by college students in the Community Health Leadership Fellowship. Before summer starts, they spend the school year training in health navigation, facilitation, and communication.
Because they are only a few years older, fellows are easy to talk to and relate to. Teens see a real, reachable version of their own future: someone from their community, in college, leading with purpose.
The Summer Leadership Program is built as a pipeline. Students who grow through it can return later as college fellows and mentor the next group of teens. Watch Avonte share what that journey looks like.
Find more stories, photos, and program recaps on our Articles page.
From Trainee to Trainer: Avonte's StoryC2H Texas on YouTube
A teacher, counselor, coach, pastor, parent, or community leader submits the online nomination form.
Nominate a studentA parent or guardian fills out the information form and signs the consent form.
Our team follows up with next steps and the program schedule so your family can plan ahead.
View the tentative schedule (PDF)Do not see your question? Reach out and our team will help.
High school students in the Austin area who are nominated by a trusted adult. Students do not need past leadership or health experience.
The program runs for six weeks during the summer. See the tentative schedule for dates and session times.
Trained college fellows from the Community Health Leadership Fellowship lead the sessions as near-peer mentors, with guidance and support from C2H.
The best path is to ask a teacher, counselor, coach, pastor, or parent to submit the nomination. If you are not sure who to ask, contact us and we will help.
A parent or guardian completes the online information form and signs the consent form. Both are linked in the "How to join" section above.
Please contact our team for current program details. Our goal is to keep the program open and accessible to every family.
One nomination could change the way a young person sees their future.
Gifts cover training, materials, and mentor stipends that keep this youth leadership program going. Professionals interested in sharing their career story with students can reach out, and anyone can find more ways to help on our Get Involved page, or explore our other community wellness programs in Austin.
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