Want to spend a week with HKS peers, immersed in a policy issues you are passionate about? Then apply by Thursday, February 16 for the inaugural LEADERSHIP SERVICE SEMINARS.
Cosponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students, the Academic Dean’s Office, and the Center for Public Leadership
These experiential trips—designed and led by HKS students—will run in May 2012.
About the Trips
Health and Education in Rural New Mexico
(download application here—Google account required)
Led by MPP1 students Lara Rosner and Mark Truman, this project will involve travel to several towns and Native American reservations in rural New Mexico, documenting the services provided by local schools, GEAR UP (a nonprofit that works to increase "postsecondary awareness and preparations among parents and students"), the Indian Health Services. After interviewing key governmental and nonprofit leaders, participants will develop a policy guide that makes recommendations for improving the lives of rural families by creating greater synergies between existing educational and healthcare services.
The U.S.-Mexico Border: Policy Challenges and Responses
(download application here—Google account required)
Led by MPP1 students Octavio Gonzalez and Anya Malkov, this project will focus on the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez region as a means of investigating a tangle of densely interwoven and politically divisive issues: immigration policy, globalization and international trade, domestic security and immigration enforcement, America’s deportation and civil detention system, drug and human trafficking, federal and state coordination, as well as the challenges that local government and community leaders face in the border context.
Apply February 9–16, 2012
Eligibility: all HKS students are eligible to apply
Instructions: Students may apply for both trips, but must submit a complete application for each one. Copy the applications to your Google docs to create an editable version. Please read application instructions carefully, as incomplete submissions will not be considered.
Deadline: 5:00pm (EST) on Thursday, February 16, 2012.
Send application form and required attachments to:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Additional trip information
Scheduling: between May 11–May 20, 2012
Cost: participants are responsible for fundraising part of the trip cost
Requirements: these programs have additional programmatic requirements before and after the trip.
Questions? Contact CPL for more information (
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
).
About the HKS Leadership Service Seminar Project
Over the last six months, CPL’s Student Advisory Board (SAB) has been working with CPL, the Dean of Students Office, and the Office of the Academic Dean to develop a pilot experiential public service leadership program for HKS. Similar to the Alternative Spring Break programs at many colleges throughout the U.S., including at Harvard, the Leadership Service Seminar idea adds a study group component: not only do student leaders design, build, and lead a one-week policy and service trip, they also work with faculty sponsors to equip participating students with new knowledge, skills, and networks within and outside HKS. Participating students build subject matter expertise in a U.S.-based policy issue while performing direct public service; and the addition of such opportunities improves the life of the school by helping build community around the idea of service.
Congratulations to Anya, Lara, Mark and Octavio, and thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal for a Leadership Service Seminar pilot. We received eight excellent proposals, far more than we could accommodate in this first pilot year. This is a powerful testament to the vitality of our student body and its commitment to building experiential leadership and learning opportunities at HKS. It also builds a strong foundation for the continuation of the Leadership Service Seminar project next year.
