Panther LEAP uses the Social Change Model of Leadership to provide an intensive experience with a focus on personal development and self-authorship. To ensure this, the program progresses through three different parts, each of which builds on the last:

Individual Perspective → Group Perspective → Societal Perspective

Combining all three perspectives allow for positive social change within an individual, institutions, and communities. Each of the perspectives are further divided into two different parts: A Seminar and an Application. This approach follows the praxis model of critical pedagogy (Freire, 2018) to combine theory and reflection with practice and application.

Part I or the Seminar of each perspective is designed to be content focused and provides students opportunities to delve deeper into their understanding of the topics covered. Due to the content-based nature of the Seminars, each of the perspectives have a standard seminar that go along with their overarching theme.

Part II or the Application of each perspective is designed as simulations which provide a space for students to “test” their knowledge and apply it to different scenarios. Part II uses experiential pedagogy to create active learning experiences where students learn through doing.

All Panther LEAP participants must complete the following requirements:

• Attend kickoff 
• Attend all seminar and application sessions
• Participate in a community engagement opportunity
• Participate in a practical competence workshop
• Participate in at least 3 cohort meetings with their Panther LEAP Mentors
• Complete at least 2 1:1s with their LEAP Mentors 
• Complete and present a capstone project to demonstrate how they apply their personal understanding of leadership in their daily lives. 
• Complete all surveys and assessment