Personal 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
Group Leadership
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
Service Leaderhip
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
Learning “how to think,
not what to think.”
At HOBY, we believe all students have the potential to lead. Our seminars bring students together across different backgrounds, cultures, and communities. We help students discover a newfound sense of awareness, confidence, connection, and purpose. Our seminars are proven to cultivate personal growth and inspire action. Students leave HOBY with the knowledge and passion needed to make a positive impact on the world around them. Being a part of the HOBY community unlocks a world of opportunities and connections beyond our seminars.
Leadership for Service
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 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, we honor hundreds of students each year as they complete their service challenge.
Iowa HOBY welcomes school and community nominated high school sophomores to a 3-day seminar each summer. 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. Held on Drake University campus, our programs give students a taste of college life while they dive into our engaging and FUN leadership development curriculum.
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.