Thompson School of Applied Science

Community Leadership

Congratulations to the CoLead students who presented their Capstone Projects and Portfolios! The Community Leadership Program is an innovative associate degree and diploma program that prepares students of all ages to work effectively within community organizations and to be active, influential citizens. This exhibition displays students’ leadership portfolios and highlights significant community projects and partnerships.

CoLead students participate in Durham: It's Where U Live, a collaborative program that brings together Thompson School and UNH students with local community leaders.

SOAR Conference

Professor Tim Barretto addressed the crowd of over 100 high school students, assuring them that we are all connected by a belief in the value of service, he strengthened their confidence to bond with one another during SOAR workshops, urging, “Share what you do, learn from others, use innovations to help you, and make friendships.” Learn More >>>

CoLead's Aspiring Hands program, a volunteer program that helps children in after school programs, has just won the ZipcarU competition! They've won $5,500 worth of driving credit to help them get to the different schools they serve. Congrats!! Click here to learn more about Aspiring Hands. Click here to learn more about their $5,500 win!

"I came to the Thompson School by way of City Year, and the CoLead program is the perfect extension of my volunteer experiences there. It's such a dynamic, interactive program, a great mix of class work and time in the communtity." - Andy Schafer '12

COLEAD - "Purposefully Powerful"

Community Leadership

Whether you have just graduated from high school, are considering a career change, or already work within a community organization, this award-winning program can help you build valuable skills in:

supervising volunteers
facilitating meetings
speaking in public
organizing events
writing press releases
fundraising
creating newsletters
grant writing
non-profit budgeting and accounting practices

Community Leadership (CoLead) is one of only a handful of programs nationwide to combine hands-on community outreach with an academic study of communities, leadership, citizen influence, and non-profit organization management.

Under faculty guidance, our students work in:

schools
crisis shelters
environmental organizations
animal care facilities
museums
advocacy programs
town offices
citizen groups
other community-related organizations

Admissions Requirements:

Students interested in the Community Leadership program must have two years of satisfactory work in college preparatory mathematics. They must also possess strong community service or leadership experience as well as strong verbal and written communication skills.

Welcome!

Community Leadership

Are you interested in:

Developing your leadership and management skills?
Learning how to work more effectively with others?
Creating successful groups?
Making a difference in your community?

The Thompson School’s Community Leadership program is designed for students who wish to transform a passion for community activism into a rewarding career. Students grow through a combination of learning and hands-on experiences which prepares them to work collaboratively in leadership roles to find positive solutions to shared problems and to effect social change at local, regional and national levels.