The mission of the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) is to seek out, recognize and develop leadership potential commencing with high school sophomores. The Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership provides motivation and experience to high school sophomores selected as potential leaders. HOBY promotes democracy and the free enterprise system. HOBY develops interactive opportunities for critical thinking. HOBY encourages social responsibility among individuals and corporations and does so through the organization’s fundamental emphasis on volunteerism.

The Vision As an educator, you know better than anyone that tomorrow's leaders are in your classrooms today. The Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) motivates and develops future leaders, preparing them for positions in their schools and helping them to expand the talents that will serve them and us well in the future.

Fulfilling HOBY's Purpose HOBY goes about fulfilling our purpose through unique weekend programs, which count on a highly interactive process rather than having student take notes while adults lecture. HOBY Seminars bring together the best of two worlds; high school sophomores with demonstrated leadership qualities - tomorrow's leaders - with today's leaders who have distinguished themselves in business, education, government, the arts and sciences, and the professions. Through intense, but informal, discussions with these persons and among themselves, HOBY leaders get a realistic look at their nation, its people and their role in the world community.

HOBY Leadership Seminars are designed by your state's organizing committee to create an experience for your sophomore leader that will produce the following hoped-for results:

• Students learn to better think critically. HOBY motivates students by showing them how to think can be just as important as what to think.
  
• Students enhance their leadership skills. Through HOBY's question-and-answer, give-and-take format, by participating in small group discussions, and by taking on leadership roles during the seminar itself, the 10th graders come to better understand leadership and begin to identify their own particular leadership strengths. Elective sessions with a specific leadership theme, keynote speakers, and leadership simulation exercises complement their individual understanding.
  
• Students learn more about "America's Incentive System," including democracy, free enterprise, and volunteerism and service to community. Through exposure to quality leaders in these arenas, students get a clearer picture of what makes our way of life "tick" and what must be done to preserve their vocational future.
  
• Students discover that they are not alone in their desire to lead and to make their schools and communities better places. Meeting students from their own communities and state who feel the same way is a powerful and reaffirming experience.
  
• Students are motivated to accept risks of leadership and catch a vision of what can be. All aspects of the Leadership Seminar are geared to encourage the students to see leadership as a life-goal worth pursuing. At the conclusion of the Seminar, the students are encouraged to identify three personal service goals, commit to achieving one or more within the next six months, and report back to HOBY, their classmates, and their sponsors on their achievements. They come away from their Seminar experience having learned that as individuals, they are important and that their thoughts and actions can make a difference; they do not have to wait until they are "grown-up" to positively influence the world and their surrounding environments.

HOBY conducts its Leadership Seminars for high school sophomores at no cost to the student or to the school. HOBY's programs are organized and conducted by HOBY and its state affiliates, and are funded through contributions from corporations, service organizations, foundations and individuals. Gifts to HOBY are tax-deductible as allowed by law under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All expenses, except personal spending money and travel to the Seminar site, are paid for by your local HOBY organization The school will not be solicited in any manner, nor may the school, student or parents contribute.

• All sophomores in your school.
• Only one student is selected as your HOBY Ambassador.
• Each accredited public and private high school in your state may participate.

Guaranteed acceptance deadline is in mid-November of each year Student invitation will be issued to your student if nomination is submitted by mid-November. Complete the Official Nomination Form and mail it to Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership, 10880 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 410, Los Angeles, CA 90024, or fax to 310.475.5426, or submit online at the national HOBY web site (www.hoby.org) Please photocopy Nomination Form and keep a file copy.

 If you miss the guaranteed deadline, the late nomination deadline is the last day of February of each year. Nominations postmarked between November and February are forwarded to the local Leadership Seminar committees. Acceptance, however, is space-available.Nominations postmarked after the last day of February will not be accepted.

Your student will receive information as least four weeks prior to seminar. New York State seminars are usually scheduled for the month of May or June of each year. Often times, the Seminar planning committee sends a notification after the first of the year.

Scholarship opportunities offered through our special arrangements with many universities and colleges. Opportunity to be selected to attend HOBY's annual World Leadership Congress. At the conclusion of each HOBY Leadership Seminar, one young man and woman is selected to represent their seminar at this expense-paid (except personal spending money) international youth event.