Parents ask me, before enrolling their teen in Summit to Self: "What actually happens in those twelve weeks? What changes will I see?"
Fair question. "Mentorship" is the kind of word that can mean anything, and parents trusting their teen to a new program deserve specifics. So here's the week-by-week.
Each week is structured in the same rhythm, roughly 3 hours weekly:
- 75-minute group session. The cohort of five teens meets live with me. We work on a theme, then discuss and share with each other.
- 45-minute 1:1 with Al. Each teen has a private call with me, focused on whatever is actually alive for them that week. This takes our conversations and themes, and makes it directly relatable and observable in their own life.
- 60 minutes of reflection work. Self journaling, using prompts, or a small personal assignment. On the teen's own schedule, easily added into the flow of the day to day.
The arc moves through three phases, building on each week prior to elevate each of us further.
Phase 1 — Introduction and foundation (Weeks 1–4)
The first four weeks are about getting honest. Before we can work on anything, we need to know where we actually are. A bit of looking within, to prepare us for what is outside ourselves.
Week 1 — Arrival and trust. We meet as a cohort. We set ground rules and expectations together — what this space is, what it isn't, how we talk to each other. Each teen answers the core question: why are you here? Not why did your parents send you — why are YOU here.
Week 2 — Personal identity and self awareness. We take inventory of where we are, what's working, what isn't, what feels stuck, what feels alive. No judgment, just honesty; with each other, and ourselves. This becomes the foundation for sincere growth, holding the mirror up to ourselves.
Week 3 — Understanding emotions. Here we recognize when and how emotions show up, and the power that we give them day to day. Learning more about these emotions helps us recognize how they show up, what triggers them, and how we can hold them comfortably, when they get uncomfortable.
Week 4 — Meeting the inner voice. Most teens (and most adults) have a relentless inner narrator that they've never actually examined. This week we go to meet that voice, with intention. What does it say? Whose voice is it? When is it useful, and when is it a lie?
Phase 2 — Experimentation (Weeks 5–8)
The middle four weeks are where the teens' inner work starts to blend with their outside environments. The teens start to observe the challenges around them — fears, doubts, patterns, interactions — and realize the practice and effort needed to overcome these.
Week 5 — Confidence fundamentals. We identify that confidence is a skill that can be learned and honed. If it's not where we want it to be, we map out how to get it there.
Week 6 — Resilience and failures. Failure is one of life's greatest teachers, but often not introduced that way. When we change the relationship to this aspect of life, it no longer holds us back from fear, but encourages us as a means of growth.
Week 7 — Communication skills. Getting to know ourselves, and the voice we hear within, helps us better connect with other people — friends or family — to communicate with more clarity, empathy, and understanding, rather than tension.
Week 8 — Social confidence. Once we clear up communication skills, we now have the bridge to stepping into the world around us with more confidence. This is about how to move through interactions, knowing that we have the skills to handle ourselves in various situations.
Phase 3 — Integrating and leading (Weeks 9–12)
The last four weeks bring it all together. How does what the teen has learned show up in their relationships, friendships, their decision making skills? Culminating in taking responsibility for the life they create.
Week 9 — Relationships. Friendships, family, the people who energize them and the people who drain them. We work on how to be a better friend, a better family member, and how to protect what matters.
Week 10 — Leadership. Teens face real decisions — about school, about friendships, about who they want to become. Here we discuss the characteristics of leadership, and how to show up as a leader through their decisions and actions.
Week 11 — Purpose and direction. One year from now, five years from now — how does the teen feel more confident in deciding the road ahead? Not a rigid plan, but a sense of inner guidance, motivation, and direction.
Week 12 — Integration. Together, we look back and reflect on how much we've learned in 12 weeks. Each teen shares what they're carrying out with them. Each teen commits to something they'll keep doing after the program ends.
What happens after Week 12
The work doesn't stop when the cohort does. Alumni can return for an in-person Ascent to practice what they've learned on real terrain. Some families extend with private 1:1 mentorship. And the cohort itself — the four other friends your teen has grown with for twelve weeks — becomes a group that tends to stay in touch long after. There will also be more Summits for alumni to return to, and the learning arcs will evolve as we continue. So for those who get their value, and want more, it's there for you.
If this sounds like the kind of work your teen is ready for, the next cohort begins soon and seats are capped at five. Applications are open at altitude-academy.com/summit-to-self.
— Al