Brown Environmental Leadership Lab (BELL)
Brown Leadership Institute: Leadership Development for High School Students
- Are you overwhelmed by the environmental challenges facing the world?
- Are you interested in understanding how biology, geology, chemistry and environmental policy intersect?
- Are you passionate about protecting the environment, and do you want the scientific knowledge and leadership skills needed to take action?
- Do you learn best by getting your hands dirty?
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BELL develops leadership in three areas:
Knowledge
Program content draws from a variety of academic disciplines including biology, chemistry, geology, physics, engineering, economics and leadership theory. Equal emphasis is placed on the environmental and leadership components of the class. Each BELL program explores several environmental issues in some depth. The focal issues of the program change year to year in order to remain current. The background material covered is selected for its relevance to these specific issues.
Past topics/projects include:
- impacts of aquaculture on the Bay
- the economics of wind power, solar shower design and construction
- eutrophication and fish kills in Narragansett Bay
- large-scale energy issues in the Northeast US
Skills
The program develops leadership and science process skills through activities, workshops, field trips, and a day on a ropes course. Leadership skills include: public speaking, problem-solving, effective communication and working with groups. Science process skills include: observation, inference, experimental design, and data analysis.
Attitudes
At BELL we make a conscious effort to live in a way that reflects what we teach. We consider our inputs and outputs, such as energy consumption, water use, waste generation/disposal, food consumption. Students learn and practice steps they can take to make a positive difference in their home communities. We see BELL as a 24-hour laboratory for sustainable living. Students spend the majority of their time outdoors, where they kayak, explore, reflect and play. These experiences afford students a unique opportunity to develop a personal connection to the environment that they are studying. Students are introduced to local activists who are making a difference by taking action in their communities. BELL students form their own support/research network of young people who are motivated and working to create change.
BELL Courses
BELL students learn and live close to nature at Brown’s Haffenreffer Estate on Narragansett Bay in Bristol, Rhode Island.
Sustainable Development
Students study sustainable development through the lens of several academic disciplines, including biology, engineering, environmental science and policy.
Field Ecology
Students learn the principles of ecological field research and experimental design by conducting experiments and making observations focused on evaluating the health of different Narragansett Bay ecosystems.
Explore All Leadership Courses »
Eligibility:
BELL courses are open to all high school students, from 9th graders through graduated seniors.
Life Outdoors at BELL
BELL students sleep in large (16x 24’) tents set off the ground on wooden platforms. There are between 8-10 students per tent, sleeping in bunk beds. There are hot indoor showers and toilets located in the multi-purpose building, just a short walk from the tents. The building also houses our classroom, living room and recreational space. In addition, we have a well equipped kitchen and outdoor areas for all types of sports.
Outside of coursework, students participate in community time to discuss current events, sharpen leadership skills, or participate recreational activities..
Leadership skills you will learn
- Identification and analysis of personal leadership style
- Interpersonal communication
- Group problem solving
- Diversity and leadership
- Individual courses may teach additional skills like public speaking
A Typical Day at BELL
Each day is slightly different, but the basic schedule begins at 8 in the morning, ends at 10 in the evening, and includes field research, educational sessions on the environment and leadership, and time for team-building, recreation and reflection.
BELL Students spend one full day on the Brown campus, visiting the libraries, dining halls and classrooms. You will also have some free time to explore Thayer Street, Brown’s funky retail and restaurant area.
Homework
There is no homework in the traditional sense. For the most part, students do short readings or work together on projects during class time.
Your fellow students
There are between 30-32 students in each BELL session. BELL students come from all over the U.S. and the world, and range from incoming 10th graders to graduated seniors.
Your Action Plan
During your course, you will pick an issue that is important to you and develop a plan for addressing that issue. We encourage you to think about some topics before you come to BELL, but most students don’t actually know what their action plan will be until they start working on it in class. Your instructors will help you design an action plan that fits your interests and skills.
Student Action Plans
Below are examples of Leadership Institute Student Action Plans recently implemented:
Environmental
- Developed composting systems or recycling programs
- Constructed a wind turbine at school
- Converted school buses to bio-diesel
- Converted light bulbs at school to CFLs
- Educated other students about alternative energy resources
- Eliminated Styrofoam in county buildings
Community
- Led or assisted with voter registration drives
- Organized a concert of Freedom Songs from the civil rights movement
- Created an art therapy program for adolescents with HIV
- Tutored middle school children to prepare them for high school
International
- Worked with administrators to strengthen curriculum on international issues
- Worked with school administrators to stop purchasing uniforms made in sweatshops
- Developed educational program focused on Darfur for entire high school
Fundraising
- Raised funds to build schools in Pakistan
- Raised scholarship funds for young people to attend community colleges
- Raised funds for Heifer International
For more information on how we support students' action plans after the summer is over, please visit our Post Summer page.
Closing program
A closing program is held at BELL on the final Friday of the course. We will have a barbecue lunch, and you will present your action plan to a small group of students and family members. It is an opportunity for your family to visit the site, hear what you’ve learned and how you want to put it into action back home.