Programs
Leadership & Student Success Programs
Identity-centered leadership development for girls and young women.
J Smiles Empowerment® provides identity-centered, whole-person leadership development for girls and young women. Our programs strengthen the internal and relational capacities young women need to know who they are, navigate relationships, make values-aligned decisions, lead themselves and others, and prepare for school, work, community, and life.
All J Smiles Empowerment® programs are grounded in the SHE Leaders® Identity-Centered Leadership Framework™, which connects identity, emotional intelligence, mindset, decision-making, and leadership development. Identity provides the foundation. Mindset influences how experiences are interpreted and responded to. Leadership is expressed through choices, relationships, purpose, and action.
Programs primarily serve middle and high school girls and young women and can be adapted for transition-age young women, including young mothers and young women navigating independence, postsecondary pathways, workforce entry, and other major life transitions.
CORE PROGRAM
SHE Leaders® Institute — 10-Week Leadership Development Program
The SHE Leaders® Institute is our signature 10-week program and the most comprehensive implementation of the SHE Leaders® Identity-Centered Leadership Framework™. Through engaging, experiential sessions, participants strengthen identity, emotional intelligence, decision-making, self-leadership, and college, career, and life readiness while developing the capacity to lead with integrity, purpose, and positive influence.
The Institute provides a comprehensive experience across the full framework. Participants engage in reflection, discussion, experiential activities, and real-world application as they strengthen and practice the internal and relational capacities that support intentional choices, healthy relationships, resilience, and values-based leadership. Development is ongoing rather than a finished outcome of the 10-week experience, and participants are encouraged to continue revisiting and deepening these capacities as they encounter new experiences, challenges, and opportunities.
Through the Institute, participants have opportunities to strengthen their ability to understand and articulate who they are, recognize and regulate emotions, communicate and navigate relationships, make values-aligned decisions, use their voice, practice self-leadership, and apply these capacities across school, work, community, and life.
The experience culminates in a Service & Impact capstone, giving participants an opportunity to apply what they have learned to a real-world issue, need, or opportunity and put leadership into practice through meaningful contribution.
Format: Weekly sessions over 10 weeks
Ideal for: Schools, youth-serving organizations, and community-based programs
SHE Leaders® Intensive — 4-Week Program
The SHE Leaders® Intensive is a structured four-week experience centered on one selected developmental theme. Through reflection, discussion, experiential activities, and real-world application, participants have opportunities to explore that theme more deeply while strengthening relevant identity, emotional intelligence, decision-making, and self-leadership capacities.
The Intensive offers focused depth around a specific developmental need or area of interest rather than serving as a shortened version of the full SHE Leaders® Identity-Centered Leadership Framework™. This allows schools and community partners to select a theme that aligns with the needs and goals of their participants.
Format: Weekly sessions over 4 weeks
Ideal for: After-school programs, targeted cohorts, schools, and youth-serving organizations
Supporting School Success
J Smiles Empowerment® programming is designed to complement the work schools are already doing to support student success. By strengthening identity, belonging, emotional intelligence, decision-making, relationships, self-leadership, and future readiness, SHE Leaders® addresses capacities connected to school engagement and other factors that can influence attendance, academic participation, and students’ ability to navigate challenges successfully.
For schools addressing concerns such as chronic absenteeism, disengagement, belonging, student well-being, or college and career readiness, J Smiles Empowerment® can serve as a whole-person development partner within a broader student-support strategy.
College, Career & Life Readiness
As students prepare for life beyond high school, SHE Leaders® helps them strengthen the personal and practical capacities needed to navigate college, career, and increasing independence. Depending on the needs of the group, areas of focus may include self-advocacy, time management and study habits, self-management, goal setting, decision-making, communication, help-seeking, and understanding college expectations.
Additional Program Experiences
90-Minute Workshops, Keynotes & Assemblies
High-impact standalone experiences that introduce a core concept, spark awareness, and engage participants around identity, leadership, and whole-person development.
Learning Labs
Flexible, hands-on experiences offering focused practice through four areas: Identity, Vision, Resilience, and Community. Labs can stand alone or be combined based on partner needs.
Partner & Community Engagement
Parent & Trusted Adult Engagement
Interactive experiences that equip the adults in a young person’s ecosystem to reinforce identity, accountability, communication, boundaries, and self-leadership.
Staff Reinforcement Workshops
Practical sessions that help school and youth-serving staff reinforce key SHE Leaders® concepts and language within their everyday work with young people.
School & Community Partnerships
Flexible partnerships designed around the goals, population, and developmental priorities of schools, community organizations, and youth-serving agencies.
OUTCOMES
Our programs are designed to support participants as they increasingly:
- Understand and articulate who they are, what they value, and what matters to them
- Recognize and manage emotions and strengthen their internal dialogue
- Make intentional, values-aligned decisions
- Communicate effectively and navigate relationships and boundaries
- Use their voice and advocate for themselves
- Practice self-leadership with integrity, responsibility, and purpose
- Apply these capacities across school, college, career, relationships, community, and life
WHO WE SERVE
J Smiles Empowerment® primarily serves girls and young women while adapting selected experiences for additional youth populations and developmental contexts.
- Middle and high school girls and young women
- Transition-age young women, including young mothers and young women navigating independence, postsecondary pathways, workforce entry, or other major life transitions
- Opportunity youth
- Justice-impacted youth
- Leadership cohorts and affinity groups
- Boys’ groups available upon request
What our Partners and Students Experience.
"I would recommend J Smiles Empowerment to other schools and youth-serving organizations. The program provided students with a meaningful opportunity to develop leadership and communication skills while building relationships, finding their voices, and addressing challenges affecting their school experience."
“I really loved the experience with the program and would like if this keeps going in the future."
"Dr. Jami established strong relationships with students despite having limited time and interactions with them. Students appeared comfortable sharing personal experiences about both school and home life, discussing challenges, and seeking her advice. Her ability to create a welcoming and trusting environment was one of the strongest aspects of the program."
My average customer rating is 4 / 5
