Year-round Leadership Training to advance justice in the Mid-South.
| Become a leader for justice and change in your community by committing to our year-long leadership, diversity and community action training program. Led by BRIDGES staff, you’ll build your self-confidence, relationships and your ability to be a leader for justice in the Mid-South—now and for the rest of your life. |
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The name may be new, but you’re probably familiar with COLLABORATE—week-long summer conferences, youth from all over the Mid-South, monthly trainings and advancing justice and understanding. Building on our history of success, we want more youth to join. Now we’re asking for a one-year commitment, and now we’re accepting 7th through 12th graders.
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You’ll start your journey through COLLABORATE at our Summer Leadership Conference—a week-long experience designed to bring out your inner Bridge Builder.
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You’ll make connections with other youth across the Mid-South and build yourself into the leader your community needs now.
Monthly training sessions and gatherings throughout the year will keep you focused on fostering justice in your day-to-day life... and reunite you with a support network of other Bridge Builders from across our community.
Program fees for COLLABORATE are based on the annual household income of the student. Please note that this payment is a fee for the program and is not tax deductible. We are committed to keeping costs as low as possible, and your cost to participate is based on an annual sliding scale fee to offset program costs.
If you’re a rising 7th through 12th grader and ready to commit to a year of Bridge Builder training, apply for COLLABORATE.
Bridge Builders®
Diversity Appreciation, Community Action, & Leadership
History of Bridge Builders®
Founded by community leader Rebecca Webb Wilson in 1988, the Bridge Builders® program brought together 40 students from two schools - Briarcrest and Northside - in its first year. Today, the program serves roughly 1,500 high school juniors and seniors each year from more than 50 public, private, parochial, county and home schools across the Greater Memphis area and has even expanded to Montgomery, Alabama.
The mission of Bridge Builders® is to develop among high school students a group of future leaders who can lay aside individual, social, economic and cultural differences and work for the benefit of all. Participants build the skills necessary to improve their self-confidence, strengthen their relationships, succeed in school and take action to build a healthy community - all while concentrating on three focus areas - diversity appreciation, community action, and leadership.
There are three ways that you can be a Bridge Builder. Click one of the links below to learn more about each one.
CONNECT - COLLABORATE - CHANGE
Your Bridge Builders® Staff
Mario Hendrix - Director (mhendrix@bridgesusa.org or 901.260.3770)
Johnathan Boswell - Recruitment Specialist (jboswell@bridgesusa.org or 901.260.3719)
Timothy Green - Recruitment Specialist (tgreen@bridgesusa.org or 901.260.3745)
Megan Richardson - Program Coordinator (mrichardson@bridgesusa.org or 901.260.3759)
William Woods - Program Coordinator (wwoods@bridgesusa.org or 901.260.3747)