Class 3 students in front of The White House

The application period for the 2012 program year is now closed. However, if you are interested in applying in the future, please look over these documents to better understand the requirements of the application process and the program.

Keep in mind that these documents are now for reference purposes only and official documents and requirements for the 2013 program year may be different.

Cultural Leadership is a demanding and rewarding program. We require a serious commitment from our participants that is outlined in both the Schedule and Agreement. Please be sure you are willing to commit fully to Cultural Leadership before applying.

Application Documents

Entire Application Packet , includes:

• one copy of the 4-page Application,
• two copies of the Recommendation Form,
• one copy of the Agreement,
• one copy the schedule for the 2012 year.

Students will also be required to submit a record of their previous year's grades.

Eligibility & Qualifications

Student Recruitment and Selection

Cultural Leadership sends applications to more than 100 high schools and houses of worship in the St. Louis area in search of competitive applicants. We welcome applications from students of any race, religion, or background who are interested in learning how to become activists for social justice.

In our inception, Cultural Leadership was a program dedicated to rekindling the historic alliance between African Americans and Jews. We have since expanded on that mission and now train high school students to create a more just and equitable community through the African American and Jewish lens. We see the history of these two groups as an excellent foundation for understanding the effects of oppression and privilege and for learning how to fight social injustice. Thus, our curriculum continues to focus, in part, though the African American and Jewish experience and the majority, though not all, of our student body identify as one or both of those two groups.

To apply, one must:

• be curious and interested in “changing the world;"
• have demonstrated a sense of responsibility, leadership potential, and curiosity;
• be a sophomore or a junior in high school and live in the St. Louis region;
• be Black and/or of African descent and voluntarily identify as an African-American;
• be Jewish, belong to a synagogue, and identify voluntarily as a Jew;
• not be Black or Jewish, but interested in learning about and being with both groups and interested in learning how to bring about social change;
• agree to the tremendous commitment that we require of our students;
• be open to a life-changing experience.

Completed applications with two recommendations are read by the Recruitment - Selection Committee that narrows the finalists and interviews students personally.

Application Process

The general application timeline is as follows. Specific dates in a given year my vary.

Late August/Early September	Applications available online and through area high schools
Early November	Applications due to Cultural Leadership
Late November	Letters mailed notifying applicants of interview status
Mid December	Interviews and notification letters