Teachers make all the difference
Our mission is simple: to inspire the next generation of global leaders. We believe that success in the 21st century demands innovation, critical thinking, collaboration and global competence, and that the best way for students to build these skills is through experiential learning.
Together with outstanding educators, Ambassador Leaders creates an immersive environment where students can grow. In fact, experienced teacher leaders say that the chance to guide bright students and network with like-minded educators brings them back each year. The people make all the difference.
Visit About Us to learn more about Ambassador Leaders’ values.
Transformative curriculum
Ambassador Leaders’ curriculum in conjunction with summit activities is designed to inform, educate and challenge students to become more confident, effective leaders. We maximize students’ learning with a combination of facilitator-led workshops, motivational speakers, hands-on experiences and small group discussions. Each summit culminates in a capstone project that student teams present to their peers.
Service is essential to our leadership philosophy. To encourage students to lead through service, Ambassador Leaders partners with United Way Worldwide and local United Way chapters for a service learning day benefiting each summit’s host community.
Students attending Leadership in Action Summits complete service-learning leadership curriculum created by our partners at Lead4Change. Based on the best-selling book Taking People With You by Yum! Brands’ Co-founder, Former Chairman and CEO David Novak, this curriculum helps students put their leadership skills into action through project management, decision-making and teamwork, while developing projects to address critical community needs. After the summits, students and teacher leaders are encouraged to continue their projects at home and take part in a nationwide annual Lead4Change Project Challenge for a chance to win grants for their schools or partner non-profits.
Students attending the Medicine and Health Care Summits at Johns Hopkins University complete hands-on proprietary curriculum exploring the core premise of medical care, including its ethical, social, philosophical and scientific applications. Students work with experts in the field, explore healthcare career options, visit medical research facilities and complete hands-on workshops. They collaborate in small teams to complete patient case studies, practicing skills like patient interviewing, diagnosis, communication and treatment. The patient case studies require students to research, role play and present authentic case findings.
Your role as a teacher leader
Summits are exciting, energizing and motivating. As a volunteer teacher leader, you will lead outstanding students and have three important responsibilities:
You inspire new perspectives, opening students’ minds to their true potential and doing what you do best—teach!
You look out for students’ safety, enabling them to grow and make new connections while they’re away from their families.
You have fun and let it show! When you’re having fun, students will too; they take their cues from you.
Each teacher leader is responsible for 10 - 12 students throughout the summit, ensuring their day-to-day safety and well-being, modeling service leadership and delivering curriculum under the onsite staff’s direction. While staff or certified facilitators lead many of the activities, your role as a teacher leader is to help students reflect on these experiences and reinforce the personal growth that emerges from them.
You also play a key role in facilitating a team project that your students present at the end of the summit. You will manage your team’s schedule and project development by following a detailed itinerary and curriculum outline provided to you. During your team’s meetings, you serve as a guide: listening, encouraging discussion and allowing students to step into leadership roles.
Teacher leaders work closely with staff and with one another, especially the leaders in their bus group. The summits are collaborative environments for students and teacher leaders alike. The most successful leaders are team players in every sense.
Like other roles in education, being a teacher leader is both demanding and incredibly rewarding. If watching students gain confidence and step into leadership inspires you, this experience will be as meaningful for you as it is for the students.
Inspire student leaders
If you are excited about this opportunity, we invite you to submit a teacher leader application. Begin your leadership journey with Ambassador Leaders!
If you know someone who would make an exceptional teacher leader, please share the link to this page or print the flyers below.
Want to learn more? Check out sample itineraries.
Medicine and Health care Summits
Frequently Asked Questions
+ What are the requirements to be a teacher leader?
Teacher leaders are current or retired school administrators, credentialed teachers or paraprofessionals. They may also be student teachers in the process of earning their credentials. In addition to educators, we welcome health care professionals to the Medicine and Health Care Summits at Johns Hopkins University.
Ambassador Leaders requires all assigned leaders to clear a background check and be CPR & First Aid certified.
Depending on the campus and the day's activities, teacher leaders must walk several miles each day. Leaders should be able to walk at a brisk pace in summertime weather for sustained periods of time. They should also be able to carry throughout the day a backpack or similar bag with necessary matierals.
+ What are the benefits to teacher leaders?
Our volunteer teacher leaders network with like-minded educators, develop professionally, facilitate service learning with a team of motivated and engaged students and explore top universities in major U.S. cities.
Ambassador Leaders arranges and pays for roundtrip flights and reimburses the cost of a checked bag. Meals, accommodation and transportation are provided once leaders arrive to their summit. Summit activities' fees are also included.
Ambassador Leaders will coordinate with teacher leaders interested in sightseeing before or after the summit to book flights on their preferred travel dates; however, leaders secure their own meals, accommodation and transportation during this extended time.
Additionally, some school districts grant continuing education units to teacher leaders for their summit participation.
+ What support do teacher leaders receive?
Before the summits, teacher leaders and site staff complete three webinars covering Ambassador Leaders' foundational values, health & safety procedures and role-specific responsibilities. Combined, these trainings take approximately two hours to complete.
Teacher leaders receive electronic copies of their curriculum and a travel handbook, both of which go into further detail on the webinar topics. We also maintain a private Facebook group where teacher leaders and site staff can ask questions and share ideas.
Teacher leaders arrive at the summit two days in advance of students. On the first day, leaders travel to campus and get settled. On the second day, they complete a full day of training. Teacher leaders work with site staff to review procedures and curriculum as well as become familiar with the campus and dormitories.
During the summits, members of the site staff and program office are available to support teacher leaders and ensure they have a great experience.
+ What is an average summit day like?
During the summits, teacher leaders oversee students' participation in team-building activities, leadership or skill-based workshops, panel discussions and hands-on service learning.
At the Leadership in Action summits, teacher leaders facilitate curriculum developed by Lead4Change and guide their students in developing a community action plan. Teacher leaders at the Medicine and Health Care summits facilitate proprietary curriculum, and student teams complete a patient case study.
At both summits, teacher leaders typically spend 1 - 3 hours a day facilitating curriculum and project development with their teams. Students then present their community action plans or patient case studies at the summit's conclusion.
Each teacher leader guides a team of 11 - 13 students, and most days begin with breakfast between 7 - 8 am and end with room checks around 10 pm.
+ What are accommodations like?
Students, teacher leaders and staff stay in the university dormitories and eat most meals at the campus dining halls. Dormitory configurations vary, but both rooms and restroom facilities may be shared.
Other questions? Ask away!
Please submit the form below and we will get back to you shortly.
“You can see the outcome…Students carry it with them when they leave and continue to do great things in their communities. It’s a global world now. Ambassador Leaders offers that perspective.”