The LEAD Program is an opportunity for students at NYU Shanghai to join equity-minded peers to cultivate diversity and social justice awareness, practice allyship and inclusive leadership, and create positive change on campus.
Program applications open each fall semester. Time commitment varies from one semester to four semesters, depending on how many stages students choose to participate in.
There are four stages of participation:
All participants have the opportunity to start at this foundational level in the fall semester of each academic year. During this stage, students engage with each other through weekly discussions about concepts, issues, and experiences related to diversity and social justice, including gender, sexuality, race, class, language, culture, power and privilege.
It inspired me to think about myself again. About what privilege that I have, and rethink about the definition of 'diversity.'" -- E’jane Li ’22
I especially enjoyed the conversations about Cultural appropriation/Political Correctness because I had never considered how controversial this issue was before. It made me think more about the impact of words and the labels we attach to different groups.”-- Micah Snow ’22
Diversity in Action
At the Diversity in Action stage, students receive support and funding for self-designed individual or collaborative projects on topics related to diversity and inclusion. Project types are diverse, ranging from photography to videography, research papers to art installations, interviews to surveys, and more. Students are free to choose where they conduct their projects, and may venture off-campus, complete them at home, or include content collected while traveling.
Watch videos from some of the past projects and events here.
At the Diversity in Engagement stage, students will work in teams to deliver university-wide events and initiatives in the spring semester.
The Diversity in Engagement events aim to engage the entire university community in explorations of topics around diversity, identity, and inclusion.
Learn more about the past Diversity in Action projects and Diversity in Engagement events here (NYU login required).
Watch videos from some of the past projects and events here.
This is the final stage of the LEAD Program. Students who have completed the Diversity in Dialogue and Diversity in Engagement Program are eligible to apply. Three or four applicants will be selected based on their demonstrated commitment, ability, and growth throughout the program.
During the Diversity in Leadership stage, students will work side by side with professional staff to co-facilitate a new cycle of the Diversity in Dialogue Program. They will also work closely with the Office of Diversity Initiatives to support the NYU Shanghai Ally Week, and other diversity programs.
Email shanghai.belonging@nyu.edu to learn more about the program or get involved.