Dubai, UAE -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/02/2011 -- The Future Leadership Academy (FLA) today an-nounced an exclusive regional partnership with Kidlead, the world’s first leadership training organization for children. The inaugural pilot programs, LeadStar™ and LeadSmart™ focusing on kids aged between 10 to 13 and 14 to 18 respectively, are set to launch in the UAE in mid-December before being rolled out to other Gulf countries in the second half of 2012.

Dr. Alan E Nelson, Founder and CEO of Kidlead, a non-profit educational foundation that focuses on children and youth, said: “We are excited to be working in this region in partnership with FLA. Our leadership programs are dedicated to raising effective and ethical leaders by developing them while they are still moldable. Consider these as executive caliber training programs for pre-teens and early teens, focusing on a life stage when young leaders are still pliable in their character, but mature enough to be taught sophisticated social skills required for leading.”

The LeadStar™ and LeadSmart™ programs are based on a platform that teaches the sixteen most desirable leadership qualities, dividing them into four modules, each consisting of eight sessions, typically formatted in 90-minute club settings. These are taught by certified trainers using media, experiential activities and real-to-life projects. The program also includes parent and mentor training.

Additionally, all students interested to enroll will be required to have a parent and teacher take the Leadership Influence Survey™ as a pre-requisite to help identify their observable organizational leader qualities. Once they graduate, program participants will join an alumni program that will allow them to remain engaged in the study and practice of leadership.

“Our special ‘Developing Your Child to Lead’ seminar for parents will cover recent findings on how to develop the full leadership potential in children. We will be discussing the 10 indicators of leadership aptitude in kids, why the 10 to 13 year window is the key for ethical leadership development as well as the five common adult responses that limit a young leader’s ability,” added Nelson.

Commenting on the partnership, Aman Merchant, Founder and Chief Emagination Officer, FLA, said, “This partnership with Kidlead is our first program under the LEAD side of our unique 'Think, Lead, Impact' platform and sets the stage for other programs we expect to announce in the very near future. By increasing the sense of confidence, empowerment and purpose that young people acquire early in life, they will be better prepared to take on the mantle of leadership and serve as active members of society earlier in life.”

“The first batch of LeadStar™ and LeadSmart™ sessions are expected to be run with around 100 children and will launch in the holiday period in December, giving parents an exciting new option for their children to spend their free time, discovering and developing their talents in ways unseen before in this region,” concluded Merchant.

The FLA was launched earlier this month, targeting to develop one million young future leaders aged 3 to 24 years across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. It will work as a leadership and learning 'open-source platform' offering a unique multi-tiered leadership potential accelerator built around three core concepts – Think, Lead and Impact. The social venture’s kick-off initiative was FLA-SAGE that is part of a global program called SAGE that encourages teenagers to create commercial and social entrepreneurial ventures on their school campuses, and is now active in 20 countries.