Red Lake, Bemidji State launch leadership program for students

Red Lake High School students are helping Bemidji State University build a new leadership development effort that aims to keep young people connected to community leadership instead of letting those skills fade after graduation.

The partnership took shape after Red Lake students from the school’s Peer Leader program visited the Bemidji State campus on Friday, May 2, 2026. The visit brought Red Lake High School students together with members of BSU’s Social Work Club as both groups looked at how a peer-support model could work in a college setting.

Ellis Hart, a BSU freshman and Social Work Club member, said the Red Lake students were invited after the Evergreen Youth and Family Services conference held a couple of months earlier in Bemidji. Hart said the Red Lake group has been running its peer support model for the past three years, giving BSU a working example of student leadership built around service and responsibility.

That model comes from Red Lake Schools’ Community Education program, which says its leadership training is meant to build life skills such as time management, cooperation, volunteering, job skills and a connection to education through good attendance. The district says students are recruited for activities ranging from the Teen Health Fair and Comprehensive Health Fair to sports events, educational camps, field trips, concessions and collaboration with other programs. Red Lake Schools describes the enrichment work as holistic, culturally based and primarily Ojibwe.

For Bemidji State, the partnership plugs into an existing student-life network that already includes more than 100 student organizations. The university’s social work department says it offers scholarships, field experience, internships and the Social Work Club, a diverse group focused on professional growth, community service, camaraderie, social awareness, social change and volunteer experience. Ashley Charwood is listed as the club’s faculty advisor and contact.

The immediate stakes are local. In a county where schools, campuses and youth-serving nonprofits already depend on collaboration, the Red Lake-BSU connection is designed to build a pipeline of young leaders who can stay engaged in Beltrami County rather than drift away from it. If the effort takes hold, it could offer a model for other area communities trying to keep students rooted in service, leadership and education.