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What if every young person could pursue their dreams in a way that created real solutions to our community’s everyday problems? They can at The Future Leaders Institute!

The Future Leaders Institute (FLI) was founded in 2004 to engage high school youth in generating and implementing visionary solutions for society.  Since its humble beginning of just 6 students at The Athenian School, FLI has moved on to serve nearly 600 students who have completed more than 75,000 service learning hours. Over the years students have raised awareness and funds for numerous causes and organizations in areas such as Education, Economic Development, Arts, Environment, Health, Poverty, Animal Rights and Technology.

FLI is a 10-month program integrated into the school day which invites young people to discover their passions and to respond with action. The FLI Passion-to-Action™ curriculum and pedagogical approach is comprised of the most effective, research-based components of successful youth, education and service-learning programs. This curriculum has been developed over a decade of reflective practice and scholarly research in youth and leadership development, service-learning and education reform. FLI is a nimble organization that is aware of innovation and best practices in order to maximize upon each student’s ability and commitment to contribute in meaningful ways. In each of the 23 partner schools where the FLI program has been implemented, students have moved beyond the limitations of their current education and evolved as models of hope for their peers and those who helped guide them.

This year, FLI serves three high schools in the San Francisco Bay Area: Alameda Community Learning Center (ACLC), Gateway High School, and Skyline High School.

Eve Cowen, Ed.M., Founder

Eve has been helping people and organizations to create strong sustainable programs that are a reflection of their passions and capabilities for 20 years. She created the award-winning Passion-to-Action™ curriculum, and in 2004, Eve founded The Future Leaders Institute (FLI). For more than five years, Eve served as the Executive Director, and she continues to actively contribute to the growth of FLI in an advisory role.

Eve has spent her career founding and growing companies, programs and organizations that aim to better the world through education and environmental endeavors. She received her Masters in Education from Harvard, and served in a leadership capacity for start-up and growth initiatives within many companies, including The Student Conservation Association, Revolution Foods, and Outward Bound. Today, Eve is Principal of Green Business Owner (.com), working to expand social entrepreneurship globally and build an increasingly responsible corporate sector.