Forge

An Emerging Leaders Program

Forge supports students as they begin to identify solutions for burnout and promote resilience in high-stress situations. Resilience gives students the ability to thrive while succeeding. Meaning, when we bring together positive, committed students and build their resilience through impactful exercises and reflective dialogue, performance towards their respective goals increases. Throughout the program, participants will discover unique tactics for stress regulation and have the space to devise a creed to live by in times of difficulty.

Learn about the Forge Experience:

Who is Forge for?

Forge is for students who have just begun their leadership journey, but are seeking more.

What’s the time commitment for the program?

Forge has traditionally been a part of the Spring Leadership Conference – a one-time, most of the day Saturday program that takes place in February.

How is Forge different than other leadership programs?

Forge supports emerging leaders as they begin to understand the challenges they will be faced with in their roles as leaders and in their day-to-day lives. Working with the UIC Army ROTC Fire Battalion, participants have the unique opportunity to explore resiliency through the lens of a peer with different experiences than themselves. Students gain an understanding of how resiliency shows up for others, while taking away alternative methods to handling intense or stressful situations. Although focusing on the individual, Forge makes room for collaborative discussions that prepare our students for the unknown.

How will my time be spent during Forge?

The act of forging implies adding stress to an object to make it stronger. Throughout Forge, we aim to do just that! Participants will have the opportunity to work through conflicting case studies, reexamine themselves in moments of panic or burnout, and be coached by a collaborative staff of UIC Army ROTC Cadets and Student Leadership and Civic Engagement team members.

Upon completion of the program, students gain a better sense of what resiliency looks like in action. By working through distorted perceptions and thinking traps, participants find high-stress situations to be more manageable in the unforeseeable future.

Looking to Participate? More information about Forge and the Spring Leadership Conference to be shared closer to the start of the Spring 2022 semester.