The Community Builders Youth Leadership Institutes take elementary students through three years of leadership development in the areas of inclusion, non-violent conflict resolution, and peer support listening.

Young people begin the program when they are in Grade 4 or 5, attending an annual intensive four-day training session with students from four or five other schools in their area (teams of eight to ten students attend with lead teachers from their respective schools). By bringing together teams from neighboring schools, Community Builders promotes a network of support

Students take on leadership in a variety of ways when they return to their schools. After Institute 1, they lead scripted CB workshops for classes of younger students, with a focus on teaching listening skills and how to be an ally to someone who's being mistreated. After Institute 2, they lead a more challenging two-part series of workshops to junior classes (their peers), with an emphasis on peer mediation and "You Can Do It!" attention. Institute 3 introduces the idea of community activism and the framework of "action research." Students in their final year of training are supported to engage with their community, assess its needs in the areas of inclusion or conflict and design and implement a project to address the need identified. In addition to these projects, teams of Community Builders and their lead teachers generate myriad applications for their leadership skills in the school. For example, teams of young Community Builders have: led workshops for Parent Councils, formed clubs to promote the inclusion of students with special needs, presented skits for assemblies,

Fun and effective workshops that incorporate music, drama and games for students, teachers and parents.