Our mission is to develop and empower leaders through meaningful connections and transformative experiences.
Our inaugural program was held on July 23 – 26, 2022 at Stockton University for high school students across NJ, in partnership with the Stockton University Center for Community Engagement & Service-Learning and the Rutgers University Student Assembly.
We’re a group of volunteers from all walks of life, committed to youth leadership development. TORCH was founded as a 501(c)(3) public charity in early 2020 by these folks after working together in this space since 1995.
“A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong…The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.”
– Robert K. Greenleaf (greenleaf.org)
We offer our programs at no cost to schools or students.
This generation of young people seeks to affect positive change in the communities and world they live in. We provide opportunities to develop the skills and confidence needed to make that impact.
Our four-day, residential summer program is tuition-free in order to eliminate the economic barriers from engaging in leadership development training. We seek high school students who demonstrate a keen interest in learning and desire to do good in the world.
Approximately 60 students attended the 2022 program, supported by 30 highly-qualified and trained volunteer staff members.
Students attend our four-day, residential summer program at Stockton University
Teachers partner with us to deliver during scheduled instruction periods
School staff integrate us into meetings or events to develop their members and boards
Administrators invite us in to provide all students with a unique leadership opportunity
Our programs are guided by leading educational research, including the concepts of Experiential Learning, the Challenge and Support model, and Social-Emotional Learning.
We design and constantly improve our programming to provide fun and engaging opportunities for young people. Students explore their own unique leadership skills through a mix of games, workshops, competitions, and interactive presentations.
“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.”
David Kolb (MA, PhD Harvard) – The Kolb Learning Style Inventory 4.0
“For optimal student developmental growth…, challenges they experience must be met with supports that can sufficiently tolerate the stress of the challenge itself.”
Student Development in College: Theory, Research, and Practice
There is “…an 11 percentile-point gain in academic achievement among students who participated in SEL programs compared to students who did not. Students also showed improved classroom behavior, an increased ability to manage stress and depression, and better attitudes about themselves, others, and school.”
Why the ‘Whole Child’ Matters by Educational Testing Service
