Link Crew is a leadership program offered to high schools in the United States and Canada. The program allows the school to choose upper-classmen, including Seniors and Juniors to be linked with Freshmen throughout the year. The Link Leaders help the freshman get involved by informing them about the activities put on by the school and local communities. These students also help to bridge the gap between freshmen and the rest of the school, when the younger students may feel like they don't belong. The leaders are a positive role model for the freshman students during the important transition from middle school to high school. These Link Leaders begin before the school year with two days of extensive training. Each freshman student is assigned to a group of 10-12 other freshmen and one or two Link Leaders. Link Leaders have activities during their freshman orientation to make the freshmen feel at home. Link Leaders continue to support their student Crew by meeting with them weekly, inviting them to school functions, and assisting them academically.
The program starts with a freshman only orientation a few days before the first day of school. Juniors and Seniors lead the freshmen through Ice-breakers and other bonding activities with their assigned freshmen.
Throughout the year, the Link Leaders are encouraged to continue to connect with the freshmen. They may teach time management, conflict resolution or character education lessons, instruct on how to use school resources, or attend free social events.
The intention of the program is to increase freshmen success as measured by school attendance, academic success and discipline.
The program is run by the Boomerang Project. It is estimated that over 2,000.000 freshmen were introduced to high school in 2016 through the Link Crew program.
The Boomerang Project awards ten scholarships to graduating seniors who have made an extreme difference in the lives of the freshman they worked with.