Founding student applications are open

Lil City Leaders

Launch the media company for your city while you are still in high school. Publish stories, grow subscribers, pitch sponsors, and walk into applications with proof that you built something real.

Claim your city See the 12-week sprint

0weeks from idea to live local chapter

0% sponsor revenue stays with your chapter

0starter cities already in the launch lane

Students working together on laptops — A leadership story you can show, not just describe.

Students collaborating around a laptop — Newsletter, social, sponsors, analytics.

Why students care

Admissions officers see a thousand clubs. They remember builders.

Lil City Leaders turns ambition into visible output: published issues, local interviews, sponsor conversations, subscriber growth, and a leadership portfolio that has numbers behind it.

Instead of a titleStudents own a city chapter with real weekly responsibilities.

Instead of busyworkThey publish to a local audience and build a voice people actually read.

Instead of vague impactThey track growth, revenue, partnerships, and community reach.

Leader kit

Everything a student needs to look legit on day one.

We keep the systems simple, visual, and repeatable so the student spends less time wondering what to do and more time building their city.

Publish

Newsletter HQ

Beehiiv setup, issue templates, subject line examples, and a weekly editorial rhythm.

Grow

Social playbook

Post prompts, caption banks, story formats, and a calendar built for high school schedules.

Sell

Sponsor scripts

Outreach emails, call notes, pricing guidance, and simple local ad packages.

Lead

Chapter roles

Editor, growth lead, sponsor lead, and creator tracks so students can recruit a real team.

Proof

Portfolio builder

Screenshots, dashboards, sponsor wins, and reflection prompts ready for applications.

Support

Office hours

Weekly support, feedback, and help when a student needs to ship the next issue.

Mission control

The site should feel like joining a newsroom, startup, and creator team.

The program is built around action loops: choose stories, publish, promote, pitch, measure, repeat.

Live metrics

1.2ksample subscriber target

4weekly local posts

$250starter sponsor package

This week's sprint

Pick three local storiesSchool moments, local businesses, weekend events, and student wins.

Ship the newsletterUse the issue template, add photos, and publish before Friday afternoon.

Pitch two sponsorsSend the script, follow up, and log the conversation like a founder.

Real work, real story

By week 12, students have a body of work they can explain with confidence.

12-week sprint

A clean path from “I want to lead” to “I launched this.”

Each phase gives students a clear win, so momentum shows up fast.

Weeks 1-3

Claim the city

Set up the chapter, brand basics, and publishing stack.

Choose your city focus
Build the first audience list
Plan the first issue

Weeks 4-6

Publish weekly

Turn local curiosity into a consistent media product.

Send weekly newsletter
Post social clips and photos
Track opens and clicks

Weeks 7-9

Pitch sponsors

Learn business development by talking to actual local businesses.

Build sponsor list
Use proven outreach scripts
Create simple ad inventory

Weeks 10-12

Package proof

Turn the work into a college-ready leadership portfolio.

Capture screenshots
Summarize metrics
Write the founder story

What they walk away with

More than confidence. Evidence.

Parents get structure. Students get a project that feels grown-up and worth talking about.

Founder narrative

A concise story about starting something in the real world and learning from the messy parts.

Measurable impact

Subscriber numbers, sponsor conversations, published issues, social reach, and community features.

Useful skills

Writing, design, outreach, sales, analytics, teamwork, and showing up every week.

Apply now

Claim your city before someone else builds the chapter.

Founding members get priority city selection, launch templates, office hours, and the first version of the Lil City Leaders playbook.

Email the team Read FAQ

FAQ

Questions students and parents ask first.

No. The program gives students templates, prompts, publishing structure, and weekly support. Curiosity and consistency matter more than experience.

Most chapters should plan on 3-5 hours per week for writing, social posts, sponsor outreach, and team coordination.

Yes, with the right framing. Local businesses want to reach local families, and students learn to make a simple, respectful pitch using provided scripts.

A club title can be vague. A Lil City chapter creates published work, audience numbers, sponsor conversations, and a clear founder story.