Through funding from the Jamie Daniels Foundation, nonprofit organization Student Leadership Services welcomes youth leaders from Students Leading Students mentor programs across Michigan for two days of leadership training.

By Stacey Winconek

Before students can lead, they must first understand what others need to succeed. That lesson served as the foundation for Student Leadership Services’ (SLS) annual leadership training, sponsored by the Jamie Daniels Foundation. Held June 24-25, 2026, the two-day training brought together 28 students from six schools across Michigan.

Through its partnership with the Jamie Daniels Foundation, SLS equips high school students with the leadership skills needed to serve as peer mentors in their schools through Students Leading Students mentor programs. By fostering positive peer relationships and empowering students to influence one another, the initiative strengthens one of the most effective forms of youth substance use prevention.

The Jamie Daniels Foundation has funded five SLS groups to continue expanding prevention efforts across the state — with hopes to extend that partnership in the future. Each of those five schools mentored an additional school to launch Students Leading Students programs, creating a ripple effect that will extend prevention programming to even more communities. Research consistently shows that young people are more likely to listen to and learn from their peers, making student leaders powerful advocates for healthy choices, resilience, and substance use prevention.

“One of the most effective ways to prevent substance use is by empowering young people to influence one another in positive ways,” says Chris Perry, executive director of the Jamie Daniels Foundation. “These students aren’t just learning how to become better leaders. They’re becoming role models who will help create healthier school communities where younger students feel connected, supported, and encouraged to make positive choices.”

Led by SLS Executive Director Dawn Flood, the training focused on developing leadership skills that students can apply within their schools. Through interactive, hands-on activities, students strengthened communication skills and learned how to work effectively as a team.

“The first day we focused on personal leadership skills, and students looked at the characteristics of a leader. They looked at what they have in common personally with a leader,” Flood says. “One of the things they focused on is making sure that as a leader they’re meeting the needs of those they’re leading.”

To explore that concept, students used Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to better understand how effective leaders create environments where others can thrive. The framework demonstrates that people are best able to grow, learn, and reach their full potential when their basic needs — such as food, water, sleep, and safety — are met. Once those needs are met, individuals are better equipped to build healthy relationships, develop confidence and self-esteem, and pursue personal growth.

The second day shifted the focus from individual leadership to building strong, effective teams. Students explored the difference between a group and a team, identified the unique strengths each person contributes, and participated in activities that emphasized collaboration, communication, and trust.

“Day two tied it all together and focused on creating our ideal team. What are the talents and the contributions that we need in our groups? What jobs and responsibilities does a group need, and who can fulfill those? And then we went into talking about the difference between a team and a group, and what are the different dynamics in those, and then we did a lot of just kind of fun team-building activities,” Flood says.

Throughout the training, students created personalized leadership journals, reflected on their experiences, and practiced communication and collaboration through a variety of team-building challenges designed to strengthen confidence and connection.

For sophomore Izzy from Swan Valley High School in Saginaw, which is one of the newest SLS groups sponsored by the Jamie Daniels Foundation, one of the biggest takeaways was learning “how to communicate better and be more active.”

Her classmate Madi left with a lesson that perfectly captured the spirit of the training.

“Being a leader isn’t about being the best,” Madi says. “It’s about being the friend they can trust.”

When these students return to their schools this fall, they’ll bring back more than new leadership skills. As peer mentors, they’ll help younger students feel connected, supported, and valued while fostering positive school cultures where healthy choices can flourish. By investing in student leaders today, the Jamie Daniels Foundation is helping build stronger school communities and advancing substance use prevention one relationship at a time.