Hugh Obrian Youth Leadership

HOBY'S MISSION IS TO INSPIRE AND DEVELOP OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF YOUTH AND VOLUNTEERS TO A LIFE DEDICATED TO LEADERSHIP, SERVICE, AND INNOVATION. EACH YEAR, HOBY PROGRAMS WELCOME DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL/SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AS THEY DISCOVER A NEWFOUND SENSE OF AWARENESS, CONFIDENCE, CONNECTION, AND PURPOSE. STUDENTS LEAVE HOBY WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND PASSION NEEDED TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE WORLD AROUND THEM.

HOBY STATE LEADERSHIP SEMINARS: OUR LEADERSHIP SEMINARS WELCOME SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY NOMINATED HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORES TO 3-4 DAY SEMINARS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, ENABLING STUDENTS TO DISCOVER THEIR FULL LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL. THIS YEAR, 68 SEMINARS WERE CONDUCTED REACHING NEARLY 7,000 STUDENTS FROM OVER 4,000 SCHOOLS. OF THOSE ATTENDEES, 259 STUDENTS RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIPS FROM THE STATE OR NATIONAL LEVEL ENSURING BOTH DIVERSE AND REPRESENTATIVE SEMINARS. OUR PROGRAMS BRING STUDENTS TOGETHER FROM DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, UPBRINGINGS, AND ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES TO DIALOGUE, EXPAND AWARENESS, AND DISCOVER OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE THE WORLD AROUND THEM. HOBY'S LEADERSHIP CURRICULUM IS ROOTED IN THE SOCIAL CHANGE MODEL OF LEADERSHIP AND GUIDES STUDENT AMBASSADORS AS THEY EXPLORE LEADERSHIP THROUGH A THREE-PHASE PROCESS: PERSONAL LEADERSHIP, GROUP LEADERSHIP, AND SERVICE LEADERSHIP. THESE STUDENT AMBASSADORS PARTICIPATE IN FACILITATED DIALOGUE AND ABILITIES-BASED WORKSHOPS TO DEVELOP AWARENESS OF THEIR LEADERSHIP STRENGTHS AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR LEADERSHIP VALUES. THROUGH THESE DYNAMIC ACTIVITIES WITH THEIR PEERS, STUDENTS HONE THEIR SKILLS AND LEARN TO RECOGNIZE, AMPLIFY, AND COLLABORATE WITH THE DIVERSE STRENGTHS OF OTHERS. OUR PROGRAMMING LEVERAGES THE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AS A FRAMEWORK TO MAKE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND THE COMMUNITIES OF THEIR PEERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD. AS AN IMMEDIATE WAY TO PUT OUR SERVICE LEADERSHIP CURRICULUM INTO ACTION, EACH STUDENT IS CHALLENGED TO COMPLETE, AND TRACK THROUGH OUR UNIQUE SYSTEM, 100 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE EACH YEAR FOLLOWING THEIR SEMINAR ATTENDANCE.ALL SEMINARS WERE CONDUCTED THROUGH THE GENEROSITY AND COMMITMENT OF NEARLY 3,000 VOLUNTEERS. DESPITE THE LINGERING EFFECTS OF COVID-19, MOST OF OUR PROGRAMS WERE ABLE TO RETURN TO IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING THIS YEAR. SIXTY-FOUR IN-PERSON SEMINARS WERE CONDUCTED AT UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. JUST FOUR STATE SEMINARS WERE CONDUCTED VIRTUALLY A 44% DROP FROM THE VIRTUAL SEMINAR NUMBERS THE YEAR PRIOR. THESE FOUR SEMINARS WERE COMBINED WITH OUR REGIONAL VIRTUAL CONFERENCE TO FURTHER ACCOMMODATE STUDENTS IMPACTED BY COVID OR OTHER UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES, SERVING 78 STUDENTS FROM 19 DIFFERENT STATES. THESE VIRTUAL PROGRAMS CONNECTED STUDENTS USING A COMBINATION OF OUR CUSTOMIZED LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND VIDEO CONFERENCING PLATFORMS. REGARDLESS OF THE VENUE, VIRTUAL OR IN-PERSON, ONE WEEKEND AT A HOBY SEMINAR UNLOCKS A STUDENT'S LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL AND HELPS THEM GAIN THE CONFIDENCE TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE WORLD AROUND THEM.

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS ARE DEVELOPED BY VOLUNTEERS ACROSS THE U.S. FOR 9TH GRADE STUDENT AMBASSADORS AS AN INTRODUCTION TO LEADERSHIP EDUCATION. THESE ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS JUMPSTART STUDENT AMBASSADORS' LEADERSHIP JOURNEYS AND CONNECT THEM TO PEERS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

HOBY WORLD LEADERSHIP CONGRESS: EACH SUMMER, THE WORLD LEADERSHIP CONGRESS WELCOMES HIGH SCHOOL/SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT AMBASSADORS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE FOR A WEEK-LONG, IMMERSIVE LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE. THE WLC CHALLENGES STUDENT AMBASSADORS TO THINK CRITICALLY, COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY, AND ACT WITH INTEGRITY. STUDENTS WHO ATTEND OUR STATE LEADERSHIP SEMINARS AUTOMATICALLY QUALIFY TO ATTEND THE WLC, AND INTERNATIONAL AND U.S. STUDENTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 15-17, WITH A DEMONSTRATED INTEREST IN LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY SERVICE, ARE ALSO INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS ANNUAL PROGRAM. THE WLC LEAVES STUDENT AMBASSADORS WITH A ROBUST GLOBAL NETWORK AND THE TOOLS TO CHANGE THE WORLD AROUND THEM. AFTER THREE YEARS OF VIRTUAL/HYBRID PROGRAMMING, THIS WLC WAS BACK TO OUR FULL IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING, SIGNALING AN EXCITING AND WHOLISTIC RETURN TO THE 55-YEAR WLC TRADITION. WE WELCOMED 238 STUDENTS FROM 37 STATES AND 7 COUNTRIES. A TOTAL OF 44 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ATTENDED.

FIRST, HOBY PROVIDES RESOURCES AND TRAINING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO THE NEARLY 3,000 VOLUNTEERS WHO GIVE THEIR TIME AND ENERGY TO DELIVER HOBY PROGRAMS. THROUGH BOTH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON PLATFORMS, VOLUNTEERS HAVE BEEN TRAINED ON AND GIVEN ACCESS TO OUR REFRESHED PROGRAM CURRICULUM, POSITIONAL GUIDES AND CHECKLISTS, AND OPERATIONAL RESOURCES AND TOOLS. WITH OUR CONSISTENT, PROACTIVE OUTREACH, AND FACILITATED FORUMS FOR CONNECTION AND BEST PRACTICE SHARING, HOBY VOLUNTEERS ARE ALIGNED AND SUPPORTED LIKE NEVER BEFORE. HOBY VOLUNTEERS, 81% OF WHOM ARE ALUMNI, INVESTED OVER 400,000 SERVICE HOURS IN PLANNING AND EXECUTING HOBY SEMINARS NATIONWIDE. THIS TRANSLATES TO $13,000,000 IN ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT OUR ALUMNI/ VOLUNTEERS DELIVERED TO THE HOBY YOUTH LEADERSHIP MISSION THIS YEAR; PROOF THAT A LIFE WITH HOBY IS A LIFE GEARED TOWARD LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE. SECOND, HOBY'S LEADERSHIP FOR SERVICE CHALLENGE ENCOURAGES RECENT ALUMNI TO ENGAGE IN SERVICE AND PROVIDES A SYSTEM TO MANAGE AND TRACK THEIR COMMUNITY SERVICE EFFORTS. AS A CREDENTIALING ORGANIZATION FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD, HOBY SUBMITS ALUMNI ANNUALLY FOR RECOGNITION. THIS YEAR, 459 ALUMNI RECEIVED PRESIDENTIAL SERVICE RECOGNITION AS FOLLOWS: 81 RECEIVED A GOLD AWARD (250+ HOURS OF SERVICE), 79 RECEIVED A SILVER AWARD (175 - 249 HOURS), AND 299 ALUMNI ACHIEVED THE BRONZE AWARD (100-174 HOURS OF SERVICE) FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO THEIR COMMUNITIES