LeadMN Certificate Program

A free virtual program designed to help students build professional skills and support their personal and academic journeys through a series of online tracks that include workshops, discussions, and interactive assignments.

Find information about our 5 tracks by clicking the links below, and begin your learning journey! 

Leadership Professional Skills Advocacy & Policy Organizing Writing & Editing

Program Details

Not all students are able to attend LeadMN events in person due to financial constraints, a lack of transportation, an overscheduled calendar or the timing of our events not aligning with their schedule, and several other barriers that come with being a student.

  • Open to all two-year community and technical college students in the Minnesota State system. 
  • Access LeadMN’s educational and leadership-building content
  • A FREE, flexible, remote learning experience to ensure accessibility for everyone.
  • Select from 5 different certificates, encompassing a total of 28 workshop options.

Certificate Tracks

Leadership Essentials

Lead with confidence! Learn about different leadership styles, build effective teams, and strengthen your confidence as a leader. You will learn core principles of communication, time management, goal setting, and self-advocacy.

Core Track Components
  1. Identify how to be a leader in various situations 
  2. Navigate challenges and conflicts within team settings 
  3. Confident and clear communication tactics
  4. Empowerment through mentorship and collaboration
Requirements to Receive Certificate
  1. Complete The Foundations of Student Leadership and Finding Your Leadership Style workshops
  2. Complete 2 additional workshops
  3. Complete this track’s “Final Assignment”
Workshops offered in this Track

What does it mean to be a student leader? Explore the fundamentals of leadership and what it takes to become a successful leader on your campus.

Key Concepts:

  1. Effective and Ineffective Leadership
  2. Creative problem solving, collaboration
  3. What does it mean to be a student leader- tasks and ideas

Take a deeper dive into leadership models and styles. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, learn how to adapt your approach to different situations, and explore the principles of ethical leadership.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Deeper dive into leadership models and styles
  2. Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses 
  3. Choosing the right style for the right setting
  4. Ethical leadership

Overcome anxiety around public speaking and develop a confident speaking style. This workshop provides techniques to enhance your presence, improve public speaking skills, and communicate with impact.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Anxiety management for public speaking
  2. How to avoid fillers
  3. Communication with impact

Learn how to assess situations, think critically, and resolve conflicts effectively. This session will introduce problem-solving strategies to help you tackle workplace and leadership challenges, as well as develop critical thinking and problem solving skills that lead to better decisions and greater success.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Components of a critical thinker 
  2. Conflict resolution strategies
  3. Strategy Chart

Great leaders lift others up. Explore the value of mentorship, learn how to seek out mentors, and then develop skills to support and guide others in their leadership journey.

Key Concepts:

  1. Trust building
  2. Effective communication
  3. Sustaining a relationship
  4. Understanding what it means to be a mentor

Strong leaders build strong teams. Learn how to create a culture of inclusion, recognize the strengths of your team members, and lead with a person centered approach.

Key Concepts:

  1. How to recognize the strengths of team members 
  2. Leading through support vs dictatorial leadership
  3. Developing inclusive methods for team settings and meetings

Professional Skill Development

Prepare for life beyond college! This track aims to build essential personal and professional competencies, including stress management, interpersonal communication, advocating for yourself in the workplace, resume writing, and more. Begin to develop transferable skills that enhance career readiness and personal growth.

Core Track Components

1. Navigate professional environments

2. Effectively communicate across various roles and settings

3. Self-advocacy in workplace settings

4. Strategically planning for success

Requirements to Receive Certificate

1. Complete a total of four workshops within this track

2. Complete this track’s “Final Assignment”

Workshops offered in this track

Feel confident applying for jobs and creating your best resume! Learn how to showcase your strengths, tailor your resume to the job, understand transferable skills, and format your resume to get noticed by employers. 

Key Concepts

  1. Understanding and highlighting transferable skills
  2. Key components of a resume: formatting and language
  3. Learn how to navigate AI in the hiring process
  4. Tips on crafting a standout resume and marketing yourself effectively to employers

Polish your interview skills and impress future employers! Explore what makes a good interview candidate with lessons on effective preparation, storytelling techniques, and showcasing your strengths through confident answers and smart questions.

Key Concepts: 

  1. How do you prepare for an interview: answering questions effectively, asking good questions, telling your story. 
  2. How use body language, voice, and presentation during an interview
  3. What to do after an interview
  4. Navigating the compensation conversation

Learn best practices and gain practical tools and strategies to ensure your workplace communication is both professional and effective. Whether you’re writing an email, report, or presentation, you’ll acquire the skills you need to be a clear and concise communicator.

Key Concepts

  1. Structuring messages for clarity and flow
  2. Using the right tone and language for different audiences
  3. Strategies for impactful storytelling in business communications and mediums
  4. Avoiding common writing pitfalls

Life is full of stressors that puts pressure on ourselves and propels us towards burnout if it goes unchecked. Learn key skills that can manage stress, prevent burnout, and help recover from burnout.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Recognize the symptoms in stress VS burnout
  2. Practice and apply key skills to manage stress and prevent burnout
  3. Receive resources to connect with supports in your community 
  4. Address the current stress and burnout in your life

The workplace can be full of situations we aren’t always sure how to navigate. Build an understanding of your rights as a worker and how to advocate for yourself and others in the workplace. Add strategies to your toolbox for navigating office dynamics, negotiating opportunities, and using your voice to create positive change in your career.

Key Concepts

  1. Know your rights as a worker in Minnesota and compare them nationally
  2. Advocate for yourself when rights may be threatened or violated in the workplace
  3. Learn how to report and who to report a violation of your workplace rights
  4. Develop strategies to address conflict workplace

Gain essential skills for managing projects, deadlines, and responsibilities. Learn tools and strategies for staying organized and ensuring success in any professional setting. 

Key Concepts:

  1. What project management is and why it matters
  2. Five phases of a project
  3. Organization strategies and tools
  4. Time management techniques

Develop the skills to communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and collaborate with colleagues. Explore both verbal and nonverbal communication techniques that foster a positive and productive work environment

Key Concepts:

  1. Verbal and non-verbal communication
  2. Active listening
  3. Relationship Building and Conflict Resolution in the workplace

Advocacy & Public Policy 

Become a confident advocate for policy change! Through four progressive workshops, you will learn how to navigate legislative processes, conduct effective meetings with decision-makers, and use storytelling to advance policy goals. This is a four-part certificate track, in which courses needed to be completed sequentially. 

Core Track Components

1. Utilize your voice and experience to drive change

2. Gain a deeper understanding of government structures and power dynamics

3. Recognize the power of storytelling to mobilize support

4. Build strong and effective coalitions

5. Design foundations for policy grounded in lived experience and research

Requirements to Receive Certificate

1. Complete the four workshops offered in this track

2. Complete this track’s “Final Assignment”

Workshops offered in this track

Dive into the basic tenets of advocacy and their applications, and gain an understanding of individual and group power in affecting change.

Key Concepts: 

  1. What is advocacy?
  2. Who can advocate?
  3. Advocacy as a civic and political action (Advocacy vs. lobbying)
  4. How advocacy scales
  5. Identifying decision makers
  6. Barriers to advocacy

Learn the principles of storytelling in advocacy. Understand how to craft a clear message, identify your audience, focus your story with details and data, and use vivid imagery to tell stories that have the power to change hearts and minds.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Elements of crafting a story for advocacy
  2. Determining your audience
  3. How to share your story
  4. The purpose of storytelling in advoacy 

Learn power mapping and stakeholder analysis to help you identify decision-makers, influencers, allies, and opponents. Use mapping to discern power dynamics and network, and understand how to use data to identify leverage points.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Identifying decision-makers, influencers, allies, and opponents
  2. Mapping power dynamics and networks
  3. Using data to identify leverage points

Learn how to find, read, and cite credible policy data; use various data sources in your research; and translate that research into persuasive advocacy messages.

Key Concepts: 

  1. How to find, read, and cite credible policy data
  2. Translating research into persuasive messages
  3. Working with institutional data (campus, state education reports, etc)

Campus & Community Organizing

Learn how to mobilize your peers and create impactful campaigns that address issues on your campus and in your community! Workshops in this track cover the roles of an organizer, event planning, volunteer recruitment, and strategies for building coalitions to drive collective action.  To receive this certificate you must take the two Foundations courses followed by any two courses of your choice. 

Core Track Components

1. Develop Organizing skills and peer mobilization tactics

2. Understand the process of coalition-building and building collective power

3. Recognize and overcome organizing obstacles

4. Learn issue analysis and how to promote your cause

Requirements to Receive Certificate

1. Complete both foundations of organizing courses 

2. Complete two additional workshops from the list 

3. Complete this track’s “Final Assignment”

Workshops offered in this track

Develop key skills to enact change on your campus. Learn your role as an organizer and how to take your passions from theory to practice. By the end of this workshop you will gain a better understanding of the leadership and advocacy skills needed to create impact in your community.

Key Concepts: 

  1. What is the role of an Organizer
  2. How can you enact change on your campus? 
  3. Transforming your theory of change into a method of change

Organizing on your campus can be a daunting task. In this workshop you will take the skills developed in the Foundations of Organizing on your Campus: Learn Your Role and apply it to developing a campaign strategy. This workshop breaks down the many components to enacting change on your campus into smaller, more tangible pieces.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Breaking down campaign strategy development

Begin to develop your pitch in a way that is accessible to all. Create a 5 minute speech to promote your idea, program, or ask for change. Learn how to approach any opposition you may face when discussing difficult topics.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Class raps
  2. Calling people in- talking about your passions with accessible language 
  3. Talking with those who may disagree

Become equipped with the skills and strategies to plan, organize, and execute successful events, from start to finish.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Event budgeting
  2. What does a successful event need?
  3. Event execution

Creating change doesn’t come without its limitations. Learn how to push past the barriers to create change in your community while maintaining positive partnerships.

Key Concepts: 

  1. What are your barriers?
  2. How to move through barriers? 
  3. Working through bureaucracy 
  4. Strategy chart concepts – major component of primary targets vs secondary targets and how they can both help you win/get through barriers
  5. How do we measure success?

Doing this work alone is next to impossible; how do we develop partners in change? In this workshop learn to identify your partners. Discuss how recruiting strategic partners throughout your campaign can build power and lead to success.

Key Concepts:

  1. Power analysis
  2. Planning campaigns
  3. Recruitment

How do we get into the minds of our constituents? Organizing is anything but effective if we do not have input from those we support. Learn to develop effective surveys and evaluations to inform the impactful work you do.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Why are surveys/evaluation important? 
  2. What are the right questions to ask? 
  3. How should this information be used?

Writing & Editing

Enhance your writing and communication skills! From grammar and editing to workplace writing, storytelling, and digital content creation, in this track, you’ll build confidence and gain practical tools to express yourself clearly and effectively. This is a 4-part track and courses must be completed sequentially.  

Core Track Components

1. Confidence in writing and editing skills across contexts

2. Practical tools and strategies for writing in the workplace

3. Storytelling techniques and frameworks to identify, craft, and share your story

4. Writing and strategies for digital content creation, including social media

Requirements to Receive Certificate

1. Complete the four workshops offered in this track

2. Complete this track’s “Final Assignment”

Workshops offered in this track

Gain greater confidence in your writing and editing abilities through an in-depth look at the writing process including tools for organizing your ideas, the mechanics of drafting, as well as revision and proofreading strategies. Learn how to use voice and tone effectively while building an understanding of structure, syntax, and grammar to elevate your written communication.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Grammar review 
  2. Formatting and organizing your ideas 
  3. Syntax and Structure
  4. Editing basics 
  5. Resources and tools

Learn storytelling techniques and frameworks to identify, craft, and share your story. Whether you are interested in writing your own story, crafting a story for a project, or creating stories to inspire action, this course will develop your skills in organizing, describing, and writing your narrative.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Arranging complex information for writing 
  2. Elements of a story 
  3. Story structure and the big picture
  4. Clearly describing your experiences

Introduces critical practices of professional writing, focusing on common professional documents across digital and traditional formats. Learn best practices and gain practical tools and strategies to ensure your communication is both professional and effective. Whether you’re writing an email, report, or presentation, you’ll acquire the skills you need to be a clear and concise communicator.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Writing for your audience
  2. Etiquette for professional writing 
  3. Analyzing and tailoring your writing for professional situations  – presentations, emails, reports
  4. Corporate style guides and copyright responsibilities
  5. Tips for writing collaboratively and individually

Learn the basics of what storytelling in content marketing is and how it connects to brand and strategy. Build understanding of the types of storytelling that influence, inform, and persuade, and learn how to create and structure digital stories and the tools that support the process.

Key Concepts: 

  1. Understanding storytelling in content marketing
  2. Defining brand and strategy
  3. Types of content stories
  4. Structuring digital stories and measuring their impact
  5. Production tools that support storytelling

As a Student, What is your Return on Investment (ROI)?

  • Develop in-demand and industry-specific skills that can improve job prospects and career advancement 
  • Learn valuable techniques, tools, and technology that can grow your competency and confidence in school and the workplace
  • Receive resume-building credentials and badges for your LinkedIn profile & resume
  • Receive a physical or digital Certificate of Completion. 

Questions about our Certificate Program?

If you have questions about our certificate program, workshop accessibility, or if you have additional questions, reach out to Program & Advocacy Director Ben Howery at