How to Run a High-Impact Leadership Workshop for Teens: A Step-by-Step Guide

Teenagers today are stepping into a world that is fast-paced, demanding, and full of complex challenges. Yet they are also full of creativity, determination, and untapped leadership potential. The difference between a young person who quietly doubts themselves and one who steps forward with courage often comes down to one thing: opportunity.

Leadership is not about titles or popularity, it is about confidence, communication, self-awareness, decision-making, and the courage to step up when it matters. A well-designed leadership workshop can transform how teens see themselves and what they believe they can achieve.

The Johnathan Thurston Academy (JTA) has spent years delivering youth leadership programs across Australia, empowering young people with the tools to believe in themselves, build their confidence, and step into leadership roles within their schools, communities, and futures. Programs like JTLeadLikeAGirl, JTBelieve, and JTYouGotThis have shown that when leadership training is strengths-based, culturally safe, and genuinely youth-friendly, it becomes one of the most powerful ways to uplift young Australians.

This step-by-step guide shows how to design and deliver a high-impact leadership workshop for teens, built on the same principles JTA uses every day: self-belief, courage, cultural respect, community, and practical skill-building.

1. Understand What Teen Leadership Really Means

Before building a workshop, it’s essential to understand what “leadership” looks like for teenagers. Leadership for teens is not about standing in front of a room. It is about:

• believing in their own strengths
• learning how to communicate clearly
• developing resilience
• making positive choices
• learning to work with others
• showing empathy and respect
• feeling confident enough to speak up
• building cultural identity and personal values
• being responsible and dependable

Many teens already display leadership at home, in sport, or within cultural roles; they simply need guidance, encouragement, and tools to grow. A leadership workshop should focus on helping young people recognise and elevate the leader already inside them, not forcing them into a personality type.

2. Start with a Purpose: What Outcome Do You Want for Young People?

Impactful workshops begin with intention. Before planning activities, ask: What transformation do we want to see in the young people who attend?

• build confidence
• develop resilience
• communicate more effectively
• learn teamwork and collaboration
• understand their cultural identity
• grow their emotional intelligence
• set goals for their future
• feel empowered to contribute to their community
• navigate challenges with courage
• discover their strengths

JTA begins every workshop by defining these outcomes first. When outcomes are clear, every activity and discussion has purpose.

3. Create a Youth-Friendly, Culturally Safe Environment

Teen leadership training is only effective when the environment feels respectful, inclusive, and safe. For many young people, especially in Indigenous communities, cultural safety is non-negotiable.

3.1 How to Build a Safe Environment

• Greet every participant warmly.
• Use culturally appropriate acknowledgement of Country.
• Incorporate Elders, community leaders, or culturally respected figures.
• Use language that is supportive and strengths-based.
• Ensure facilitators understand cultural protocols.
• Avoid judgement, comparison, or pressure.
• Encourage voluntary participation, not forced.
• Celebrate diversity within the group.

When young people feel safe, they open up. When they feel seen and respected, they learn. And when they trust their facilitators, they take brave steps forward. This is the foundation of JTA’s leadership programs.

4. Build a Workshop Structure That Flows

A high-impact workshop must have a rhythm, a flow that alternates between energy, reflection, learning, and fun. JTA programs follow a simple, powerful structure:

4.1 The Ideal Workshop Flow

• Welcome and Icebreaker
• Group Expectations and Creating a Safe Space
• Understanding Leadership: What Does It Mean?
• Identifying Personal Strengths
• Team Activities and Leadership Challenges
• Communication Skills Session
• Decision-Making and Problem-Solving
• Resilience and Confidence Building
• Goal Setting and Vision for the Future
• Reflection Activity
• Celebration of Achievements

Each section builds on the last, guiding young people through a journey of discovery, confidence, connection, and growth.

5. Start Strong: Create a Powerful Opening Activity

The first 10 minutes set the tone. Teens decide quickly whether a workshop is worth their time. A strong start builds excitement and breaks down nerves.

5.1 JTA-Style Opening Activities

• “Tell Us One Strength You Bring to This Room” – Encourages self-belief and vulnerability.
• “Two Truths and a Dream” – Builds connection and allows teens to imagine their future.
• Values Cards Sorting Game – Helps teens identify what matters most to them.

Remember: teens respond to energy, authenticity, and honesty. A facilitator who shares their own story builds immediate trust.

6. Teach Leadership Through Strengths, Not Deficits

Many young people don’t realise they already have leadership qualities. They might think leadership means extroversion or being outspoken, but leadership is diverse.

6.1 Highlight the Many Types of Leaders

• quiet leaders
• creative leaders
• cultural leaders
• community-minded leaders
• empathetic leaders
• strategic thinkers
• strong listeners
• problem-solvers
• team motivators

JTA’s strengths-based approach helps young people identify their natural abilities through activities like Strengths Mapping, Personal Reflection Journals, Peer Feedback Circles, and Storytelling from Elders or role models.

• Strengths Mapping
• Personal Reflection Journals
• Peer Feedback Circles
• Storytelling from Elders or role models

When teens understand their strengths, their confidence expands.

7. Make It Hands-On: Activities That Bring Leadership to Life

The difference between an average workshop and a life-changing one is simple: engagement. Teens learn by doing. The most memorable leadership lessons come from interactive challenges.

7.1 High-Impact Leadership Activities

• The Marshmallow Tower Challenge – Build a freestanding tower using limited materials. Teaches teamwork, communication, planning, and adaptability.
• Blindfold Trust Course – Pairs guide each other through an obstacle course using only verbal cues. Builds trust, active listening, and responsibility.
• Cultural Storytelling Circles – Encourage teens to share personal or cultural stories (if comfortable) to strengthen identity and connection.
• “Solve It Together” Problem-Solving Scenarios – Give the group a realistic challenge, such as planning a community event, and let them design solutions.
• Courage Cards – Teens write anonymous questions or fears; facilitators address them sensitively. Reduces stigma around self-doubt.

8. Teach Communication in a Way Teens Actually Enjoy

Communication is one of the most important leadership skills but teens don’t want a lecture. They want practice.

8.1 Communication Activities That Work

• Speed Networking – Teens rotate and answer fun, structured questions.
• The “One-Minute Story” Challenge – Builds confidence in speaking.
• The Listening Pair – One speaks for two minutes, the other repeats what they heard.
• Role-Play Scenarios – Conflict resolution, teamwork, workplace situations.

9. Help Teens Build Resilience and Confidence

Leadership requires courage. Teens often carry fears or self-doubt they’ve never spoken about. A great workshop safely brings these emotions to the surface and replaces fear with empowerment.

9.1 How to Build Teen Resilience

• Teach positive self-talk
• Use reflective journaling
• Encourage peer encouragement
• Celebrate small wins
• Share stories of resilience from mentors or Indigenous role models
• Teach mindful breathing and emotional regulation

10. Introduce Decision-Making Tools

Teens often struggle with pressure from peers, school, family, or social expectations. Leadership workshops must teach practical decision-making frameworks.

10.1 Tools You Can Teach

• The “Stop, Think, Choose” model
• Pros and Cons mapping
• Identifying consequences
• Seeking support from trusted adults
• Understanding personal values
• The “Courage vs Comfort” framework

11. Incorporate Cultural Identity and Community Leadership

For Indigenous teens, leadership is deeply linked to culture, identity, family, and Country. Culturally inclusive workshops create pride and belonging.

11.1 Ideas to Include

• Welcome or guidance from Elders
• Culture-specific leadership roles
• Storytelling from Indigenous mentors
• Activities focused on identity, kinship, and values
• Respectful acknowledgement of Country
• Space for teens to express their voice

12. Bring in Role Models Teens Can Relate To

Representation matters. Teens connect deeply with facilitators and mentors who:

• look like them
• speak their language
• understand their culture
• share relatable stories
• have overcome challenges
• show vulnerability

13. Guide Teens to Set Goals and Build a Future Pathway

A leadership workshop should not end with activities alone; it must end with vision.

• SMART goals
• Vision boards
• Future letters (“Write a letter to yourself one year from now”)
• Three-step action plans
• Strengths-based future mapping

14. End with Recognition, Celebration, and Connection

The way a workshop ends matters just as much as how it begins.

• Present certificates of participation
• Share positive feedback circles
• Highlight individual achievements
• Allow teens to express what they learned
• Encourage ongoing leadership within their community
• Celebrate growth, courage, and participation

15. Why JTA’s Approach Works And What Schools and Sponsors Can Learn

Leadership workshops succeed when they:

• build trust
• focus on strengths
• incorporate culture
• use hands-on learning
• create emotional safety
• include relatable role models
• build confidence
• encourage teamwork
• provide real-world skills
• inspire hope for the future

16. Corporate Sponsors Can Amplify Leadership for Teens Nationwide

Leadership development requires sustained investment. Corporate sponsors play a crucial role by helping JTA:

• deliver programs across Australia
• reach more regional and remote communities
• fund resources, facilitators, and culturally safe activities
• support girls’ empowerment through JTLeadLikeAGirl
• expand early intervention programs
• build pathways into employment
• empower Indigenous teens to become future leaders

Leadership Starts with Belief And Every Teen Deserves That Chance

A high-impact leadership workshop is more than a day of activities. It’s a life-changing experience that gives teens the confidence to dream bigger, act with purpose, and believe in their strengths.

When teens feel empowered:

• their behaviour improves
• their engagement in school rises
• their resilience grows
• their communication strengthens
• their sense of identity deepens
• their leadership emerges naturally

The Johnathan Thurston Academy has proven time and again that when young people are valued, guided, and encouraged, they step into leadership with confidence and courage.

The message at the heart of every JTA program is simple: Young people don’t need to be pushed into leadership, they need to be believed in. And when communities, schools, and sponsors invest in leadership development, they are not just supporting teens, they are investing in a stronger future for Australia.