The Decalibron Summit Program
A leadership program designed to chart your own course to learn more about your self and communities.
Why is it called the Decalibron?
The purpose of the Decalibron Summit Program is for CYLers to complete 4 metaphorical summits during their 4 years in high school by increasingly engaging in more local service and leadership opportunities. The Decalibron Loop is also a 4 mountain peak loop of 14,000+ foot peaks in Fairplay, CO, that we hike every year in September consisting of Mt. Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bross (DeCaLiBron). The Decalibron Summit Program is an application-based program for high school students who are looking for support on a more individualized plan to reach their service and leadership goals.
The Decalibron Loop is one of Colorado's most popular & well-known mountaineering routes. The journey allows hikers to summit four 14,000-foot peaks: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross. We know “14ers” are difficult and that every summit allows for challenges, triumphs, & reliance on other hikers. This is why this particular visual drives this CYL’s leadership development program. These summits allow young people to live life at altitude - a life above the status quo. Each summit is worth every step.
What is the Decalibron Summit Program?
Colorado Young Leaders focus on social impact, stepping outside comfort zones, understanding the beauty and needs existing in their communities, and learning how to take healthy risks that benefit others – it’s a leadership style that brings out the best in all of us.
Once a high school student joins Colorado Young Leaders and applies for the Summit Program, they will start their journey through individual summits. The summits unite us, give us common goals and benchmarks, and help us work together toward the common vision of a world with a new type of leader - a leader with empathy, community understanding, and service experiences to empower others. Young people are engaged in their communities, and the Summit Program within CYL provides a platform to amplify the voices of young people to create change.
What will I learn in each summit?
Before you get started, each climber needs to register with Colorado Young Leaders so that we are better able to understand your passion areas and track your Summit progress.
Mt. Democrat Summit
For CYLers in their first year of high school, this is where you get to explore and experience the world around you.
We believe that this is where all CYLers start their journey. Along the trail, Mt. Democrat is the first mountain hikers encounter. It’s the most strenuous climb and where Young Leaders will start their journey to explore a new way to lead.
- Be in your first year of high school
- Serve in 3+ CYL Service Adventures in 3 different cause areas
- Recommended: 50 service hours to really understand the different cause areas you can impact*
In this summit, Young Leaders will serve with multiple nonprofit organizations serving unique causes to explore their passions and different cause areas. They will also learn about taking healthy risks and identifying where their comfort zones are.
Mt. Cameron Summit
This is for CYLers in their second year of high school who are ready to take the next step in their leadership to connect to a specific cause area.
The Mt. Cameron Summit is where you will commit to what you’re passionate about and identify a need in the community to work on. Once you complete your Mt. Cameron Summit, you will have a better understanding about what you are most passionate about, your unique leadership strengths, and how you can create impactful change when you connect your passions and interests.
From Mt. Democrat, climbers work their way along a saddle & ridge to the Mt. Cameron summit. A saddle means that hikers will not descend much in elevation, allowing Young Leaders to keep living at altitude. The summit is flat like a football field, allowing for climbers to see in all directions.
Checkpoints to the summit:
- Be in your second year of high school
- Serve in 3+ service projects within a single cause area
- Recommended: 50 service hours (can be a variety of cause areas)*
At the Cameron summit, students will think outwardly to how their actions impact the community and will commit to a cause issue they are most passionate about. Many schools and scholarships love to see commitment within a single issue area, and it helps CYLers define what success looks like for them. At Mt. Cameron, students find purpose in their actions.
Mt. Lincoln Summit
This is for CYLers in their third year of high school who are ready to take the next step in their leadership to reflect and more deeply understand "the why" behind issues going on in their communities and what they can do about it.
The Mt. Lincoln Summit is where you will dig deeper to better understand community issues and the difference you can make. Once you complete your Mt. Lincoln Summit, you will have a community partner to help you implement your Mt. Bross project, more deeply understand why your selected community issue exists/persists, and feel confident sharing your vision of change with others.
From Mt. Lincoln, the eighth-highest peak in Colorado, Young Leaders stand tall and can look back to the Democrat and Cameron peaks with a sense of accomplishment and gratitude.
Checkpoints to the summit:
- Be in your third year of high school
- Extend your service in your selected cause area(s) and understand the root cause of the issue by serving within a single-issue area or alongside a specific population within your cause area
- Recommended: at least 50 service hours in a single cause area*
- Optional: Apply for the Colorado Young Leaders Youth Advisory Board or an organization/leadership board within your cause area
The Mt. Lincoln Summit is a reminder of everything they have learned from previous summits while looking ahead at Mt. Bross with a clearer vision, understanding, and purpose. Mt. Lincoln is a time for students to dig deeper into the root causes of their cause area and start asking the tough questions to truly create change. Mt. Lincoln climbers will step out into their community, but look in within themselves to start to identify their Legacy Project.
Mt. Bross Summit
This is for CYLers in their final year of high school who are ready to take the next step in their leadership to leave a legacy and impactful change in their community.
Leaving Mt. Lincoln, climbers descend slightly down to a saddle, hike a ridge and ascend to the peak of Mt. Bross; the last, rewarding summit of the loop. Here is where our students complete their Legacy project articulating who they are as leaders and the legacy they want to leave for their community. Legacy projects may look like a final internship, student-designed school program, a CYL Service Adventure, or more! There is no "right" way to complete a Legacy Project in CYL.
Checkpoints to the summit:
- Be in your final year of high school
- Implement your Legacy Project!
- Share your legacy with others to sustain your project
- Recommended: 50 service hours*
- Optional: Apply for the Colorado Young Leaders Youth Advisory Board or an organization/leadership board within your cause area
A Legacy Project is unique to the individual Colorado Young Leader. While it should take time to implement, it could be a one-day project like a Service Adventure or an extended project over the course of the school year. There is no right way to implement a Legacy Project. CYL Summit Guides and Staff will support along the way.
Be a leader - NOW
High school students have proven time and time again that they are the future - and current - leaders. Teens are vocal in issues impacting them and, through the Summit Program, are provided with real-life skills needed for today’s leaders. Building empathy, leading with intention, and empowering others are just a handful of skills Young Leaders will enter the world by engaging in the CYL Summit Program. CYL and the Summit Program prepares teens for the world to lead in their schools, communities and to take a stand on issues impacting the globe.
*A note about recommended hours. At CYL, we focus more on impact and experience, rather than box-checking an hour requirement. However, we understand that the more time you spend within a specific cause area or the more time you spend exploring what you love to do, the more direction and purpose you will have. We recommend 50 hours for each summit because we want you to take time to adventure, serve and lead. Change doesn't happen overnight, but each step you take will lead you there.
