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Inspired by our successful sister organizations, Global Leadership Adventures and Discover Corps, with over a decade of experience providing unique and compelling summer experiences for teens.

How do you transform a continent? That’s the question founder, Fred Swaniker, asked in 2003 when he began developing African Leadership Academy , the first iteration and earliest beginnings of Global Leadership Adventures. A native of Ghana and Stanford MBA who returned to work and travel all over Africa, Fred believes the greatest obstacle to African development was a lack of ethical leadership. In an effort to combat this problem, he began to develop a vision for a long-term solution: A pan-African high school nurturing entrepreneurial leadership and delivering a world-class education. The school would extend scholarships to youth across the continent, creating a diverse student community and allowing all students the opportunity to attend based on their ambition and potential, rather than income or background. Against all odds, Fred and his co-founders brought the vision to life.

From the success of Global Leadership Adventures and the African Leadership Academy, Summer Springboard was born.

Summer Springboard was founded to give college-bound teens a supportive environment where they can explore their personal and academic passions. Our innovative pre-college summer programs, offered at some of the world’s leading colleges and universities, combines the benefits of an academically challenging summer experience with tools and frameworks for personal leadership development and self-discovery.