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SLACK

Student Leadership Advisory Committee of the Keweenaw

Their Mission

To bridge gaps between Keweenaw communities by developing youth leaders through engagement in community service and philanthropy.

What is SLACK?

Student Leadership Advisory Council of the Keweenaw (known as SLACK) is a youth organization hosted by the Copper Country ISD. The group brings youth leaders together to address school issues collaboratively. The group meets monthly in the local schools and has ambitious plans for improving the lives of youth in Houghton, Keweenaw and Baraga Counties.

SLACK is designed to give local youth a space to voice how they think the community can be improved and give them the opportunity to carry out those changes while practicing leadership skills through community activism. During SLACK meetings, students break up into smaller committees to bring different aspects of a community event together, while building connections with students from other area schools.

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Goals

  • Engage youth in philanthropy 
  • Engage youth in addressing the needs of local youth 
  • Engage youth in community service
  • Engage youth in leadership opportunities and skill building

History

The Student Leadership Committee, now the Student Leadership Advisory Council of the Keweenaw, began in the early 1990s as a collaborative group of student leaders across the CCISD area schools of Houghton, Keweenaw and Baraga counties. The focus initially was to eliminate pre-gang activity and dangerous school rivalry that existed, sometimes leading to violence. Recently, the purpose of SLC changed to focus on opportunities for school leaders to meet and address school issues collaboratively, community service and leadership skill building.

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Service projects for 2023-24

  • December: Cookie making for Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly.   
  • February: Make and deliver Valentine’s Day cards to nursing homes across the 3 counties.
  • March 2024: Oral Health & March Reading Month collaboration with The Center for Rural Health at NMU. SLACK students will read “Curious George Visits the Dentist” to all 2nd graders across

2023-24 Series - Leadership

In 2023-24, a local leadership series was established to connect youth with local leaders. Monthly, SLACK students invite a local leader to the meeting to share their personal journeys and stories on leadership.

Philanthropy  

Yearly, SLACK works with Copper Shores Community Health Foundation to support Giving Tuesday. In 2023, SLACK students went through a review process to select local charities, campaigned for the selected charities at their local schools and raised over $600.

Eligibility

  • A high school student at one of the 8 high schools in the districts served by the CCISD. 
  • Maintain approval by high school staff liaison (each school has one adult liaison) to participate in SLACK.

How to join?

If you know a student interested in joining for the 2023-24 academic year, invite them to touch base with their:

  • Principal
  • School counselor
  • An active SLACK member
  • Or email Dayna Browning at dbrowning@copperisd.org, Emily Geiger at egeiger@copperisd.org, or Bridgit Firchau at bfirchau@copperisd.org
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Blogs

Read our latest stories

April 29, 2024

Curious George joins SLACK to promote dental hygiene

The Student Leadership Advisory Council of the Keweenaw (SLACK) has been working with local elementary schools, Northern Michigan University’s Center ...
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June 6, 2022

Youth Leadership group partners with Portage Health Foundation

This school year Student Leadership Advisory Committee of the Keweenaw (SLACK), which is a Copper Country Intermediate School District (CCISD) ...
Read More