Begin with self awareness, continue in community

  • An intentional youth community dedicated to altruism and compassion.

  • We work to instill secular ethics, happiness, service, and reverence for life in high school students. We believe in fostering a youth community that is enthusiastic about making the world a better place through translating human values into tangible service.

  • The Compassionate Leaders Program is for Juniors - Seniors in High School.

compassionate leaders program

  • Most of us chase happiness in the wrong places. Students learn to tell the difference between fleeting pleasures and the kind of deep, lasting well-being that comes from who you are, not what you have.

  • Through meditation, reflection, and practice, students develop the ability to notice what's happening inside them. Their thoughts, emotions, reactions, and learn to respond with greater clarity and care rather than act on impulse.

  • Students explore what it means to genuinely care for others. Understanding suffering, recognizing our shared humanity, and moving through the world with an open heart. This isn't abstract. It gets put into practice locally, nationally, and internationally in places like India, Morocco, and South Africa.

  • Students get clear on what they stand for, and learn how living in alignment with those values is one of the most powerful sources of confidence and well-being available to any of us.

  • Anger, fear, envy, and anxiety. Rather than avoiding these experiences, students learn to understand, name, and work with them constructively.

  • Perhaps most importantly, students discover what it feels like to be truly seen and accepted, and learn how to offer that same experience to others.

Weekly
Sessions
Start October 2027

● Program Overview

✨NYC PILOT

YEAR

Here's a glimpse of what Students discover along the way:

What You’ll Learn

The Compassionate Leaders Program is a year-long journey designed to help young people develop the inner tools for a happier, more meaningful life, and to become a positive force in the world around them.

At its heart, the program explores the question: What does it mean to flourish as a human being? Through weekly meetings, retreats, and international service experiences, students explore this question from the inside out, starting with themselves and expanding outward into community and the world.

By the end of the year, students don't just have new knowledge, they have a new relationship with themselves, a deeper connection to their community, and a clearer sense of the kind of person they want to be in the world.

Enroll Now

✨

Program Structure

Students meet weekly for 90-minute sessions blending mindfulness, reflection, and experiential learning. Throughout the year, community engagement opportunities bring the program's values to life locally through service projects, environmental work, and real-world connection.

The year culminates in an optional international trip to either India or South Africa, where students take everything they've explored inward and bring it out into the world in a profound and lasting way.

3-Week
Trip to India
July 2027

Cost

Flourish NYC is a nonprofit organization committed to making transformational experiences accessible to every young person, regardless of financial circumstance. The Compassionate Leaders Program is completely free to join. No fees, no barriers.

That said, this work is made possible by the generosity of people who believe in it. If you're in a position to give, a donation of any size goes directly toward sustaining and growing the program for future students.

We all take shape

Some of the most profound moments happen quietly, in a circle of peers. Some happen on the other side of the world.

From our Students

"I've learned to use meditation to keep me calm for the first time maybe ever, my emotional self is catching up with my intellectual self, and I feel safe and excited for what's to come."

— Oscar, 16yr old, Hailey Idaho (2025)

“This program, which connects students like me, fosters an environment where we realize we are not alone in our struggles, and more importantly, where we feel heard, supported, and loved. It has given me a renewed sense of belonging, teaching me how to embrace my vulnerabilities while growing stronger through them.”

— Maggie, 17yr old, Hailey Idaho (2024)

“The world we see and create is the world we live in, and Flourish, I think, teaches people to create a world worth living in.”

— Ben, 16yr old, Hailey Idaho (2019)

● Contact

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Thinking about enrolling? Send us a message!