To change the world, we need to be intentionally developing and shaping our next generation of leaders. ARM is offering a leadership expo as a time of leadership development, and “visioneering” called Lead Up!. This will be a time of great leadership conversations facilitated by Executive Director, Lisa Pierce who is also a Colonel in the Alabama National Guard. In addition to Lisa, there will be a team of leaders to help guide these discussions featuring student leaders from ARM@AU. This will be an online course and is designed for high school students who desire to take their passion and ideas and translate them into action. See below for more information.

Special Note for 2025:

Normally Lead Up is an in person event which costs $75 and allows 25 students to attend. This year, considering the current circumstances, we will be offering an online course of Lead Up for a reduced price of $25! Because it is online there will be no cap on attendance, but we will go through a similar application process. Our goal is to have the course ready to go by January and the in-person event in February 2025! More specific details will be coming soon! We appreciate your interest in Lead UP and Alabama Rural Ministry!

What is LeadUp?

This is a high impact weekend designed specifically for sophomores through seniors (10-12) in high school who have a deep passion to learn the principles of how to solve a complex problem like hunger or housing. Or how they might start a movement in their own community or within their youth group.

What Will You Learn?

  • Identify your passion
  • Develop a set of core values
  • Organize a community mission and vision
  • Develop an action plan and recruit volunteers
  • Plus more!

We will use ARM’s context and explore how we started and have grown through the years. The students will then be guided to use their own vision and passion around any area of need they see in their community – or beyond!

Who Should Attend?

LeadUp! is designed for Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors (10-12) in High School and college students with a passion to serve and lead.

Why only Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and college students? These students will be supervised by ARM staff, ARM board members, and college students so we’re looking for mature students. There’s also a potential for these students to be offered a 1-2 week summer internship to serve alongside the ARM camp counselors this summer either in construction or day camp ministry.

What Will We Do?

The sessions will present topics that help take an idea from start to finish. Students will bring an idea around a need or passion they would like to work upon or support. After each session, you will break into groups and have a guided project time. It is part presentation and part application/project development. We will guide you through this process and when you leave you will have the foundation for a workable idea. You will receive support through periodic check-ins to see how each youth is doing and any help that is needed.

Students who participate will also have an opportunity to come over the summer for a week during our mission camps and shadow our college counselors. How Do I Register and Pay My Registration Fee?

The registration process is simple! Just click the link that will appear on this page to get started.

REGISTER