HOBY Leadership Seminar

June 14-16, 2024

Each year, HOBY Minnesota brings together high school sophomores from all over the state together for a 3-day leadership seminar.  We bring in these young students not to become leaders, because we believe they are already leaders; instead, we bring these ambassadors together to help them grow in their leadership journey, and find out what type of leader they are.

The seminar is broken up into three phases, each phase based on the Social Change Model of Leadership.

  • First, student ambassadors explore their personal leadership style. In this phase, student ambassadors unlock their potential through self-discovery and reflection.

    After completing the personal leadership curriculum, student ambassadors will be able to:

    • Understand their leadership strengths and values

    • Have the confidence to speak up about their values and ideas

    • Identify a purpose that motivates them as a leader

  • In the second phase, student ambassadors apply their newfound awareness to their interactions with others. Through this process of learning about others’ leadership abilities, identifying common goals, overcoming team obstacles, and developing an understanding of diverse perspectives, student ambassadors develop their group leadership skills.

    After completing the group leadership curriculum, student ambassadors will be able to:

    • Believe others see them as a leader

    • Identify leadership strengths in others

    • Work with others to identify a common purpose

    • See the value in seeking out different perspectives

    • Work with others respectfully, even when they disagree

  • HOBY student ambassadors apply their newfound understanding of personal and group leadership to serving others. In the service leadership phase, student ambassadors are challenged to make an impact on their local community. Here, they learn about the perspectives of community leaders and the value of making a positive difference within the place they call home.

    After completing the service leadership curriculum, student ambassadors will be able to:

    • Acknowledge how their actions impact others

    • Take the steps to create positive change in their community

Student ambassadors truly put their service leadership learning into action after the seminar concludes. New HOBY alumni are challenged to complete 100 hours of service to their communities in the year following their seminar. These Leadership for Service (L4S) hours are a tangible way for our new alumni to apply their passion and newly built leadership skills toward making a positive impact. Over 5,000,000 service hours have been logged by HOBY alumni worldwide since 1998, and that number continues to grow with HOBY alumni logging thousands of hours of service each year. As a certifying organization for the Presidential Volunteer Service award, HOBY sites across the world honor hundreds of students each year as they complete their service challenge.