THE BDB LEADERSHIP MODEL
From Preflight to Captain - 8 sessions
01
PREFLIGHT
Self-Leadership
02
NAVIGATION
Decision-Making
03
CREW
Team Leadership
04
CAPTAIN
Community Impact
Developing Captains in the Classroom.
Leaders in the Community.
Breaking Down Barriers uses the discipline, decision-making, teamwork, and safety culture of aviation to equip middle and high school students with the leadership skills, career awareness, and social capital to pursue opportunity.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Awareness + Foundation
HIGH SCHOOL
Workforce + Leadership Application
TEM + CRM
Aviation decision-making and team principles
THE EIGHT - SESSION JOURNEY
Leadership is taught the way aviation is taught; one stage at a time.
Each phase builds on the previous one. Students move from understanding themselves to making responsible decisions, leading with others, and using their leadership to create community impact.
PHASE 1
PREFLIGHT
Students learn to lead themselves before they lead others—building accountability, discipline, emotional intelligence, resilience, and personal responsibility.
SELF - LEADERSHIP
Self - awareness
Emotional regulation
Discipline & accountability
Personal goal setting
PHASE 2
NAVIGATION
DECISION - MAKING
Students learn how pilots assess threats, manage risk, recognize errors, adapt to change, and make responsible decisions under pressure.
Risk assessment
Adaptability
Ethical decision-making
Error recovery
PHASE 3
CREW
TEAM LEADERSHIP
Using aviation’s Crew Resource Management principles, students practice communication, collaboration, conflict resolution, and speaking up when something matters.
Communication
Conflict resolution
Leadership & followership
Teamwork
CREW
PHASE 4
CAPTAIN
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Students connect leadership to career opportunity and service, creating a personal pathway toward workforce readiness and meaningful community impact.
Career planning
Service leadership
Professional identity
Community impact
THE AVIATION CONNECTION
Aviation teaches leadership every day.
Threat & Error Management
Identify threats. Manage risk. Recognize errors. Recover. Learn.
Crew Resource Management
Communicate clearly. Listen actively. Speak up. Support the crew.
BDB translates proven aviation concepts into age-appropriate leadership experiences. Students learn that great leaders do not wait for problems to become emergencies.
Flight Mindset
Prepare before action. Use checklists. Stay aware. Adapt to changing conditions.
Captain's Responsibility
Leadership is responsibility for people, decisions, outcomes, and the mission.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
We measure more than participation.
The goal is measurable growth in how students lead themselves, work with others, prepare for careers, and envision their role in their community.
Stronger Self-Leadership
Students build the habits, confidence, and accountability required to take ownership of their future.
Workforce Readiness
Students develop professional communication, career plans, mentorship relationships, and leadership experience.
Better Decision-Making
Students learn to identify threats, assess risk, make informed choices, and recover from mistakes.
Community Leadership
Students understand how personal opportunity can become a catalyst for family and community transformation.