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The vision of Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) is to motivate and empower individuals to make a positive difference within our global society through understanding and action based on effective and compassionate leadership. The mission of our HOBY Hawaii chapter is to provide lifelong leadership development opportunities beginning with Hawaii's youth, to empower them to achieve their highest potential.

Description:
HOBY is a premier international youth leadership development program. Each spring, HOBY conducts over 70 leadership seminars throughout the country, serving over 8,000 high school sophomores. The HOBY Hawaii Leadership Seminar takes place each spring in Honolulu for students from throughout the state of Hawaii. Students who attend HOBY seminars learn to think critically and challenge their ideas; identify their leadership abilities and understand the challenges associated with leadership; and demonstrate their leadership skills through service to their communities.

History:
HOBY was founded by actor Hugh O'Brian in 1958 as the result of an inspiring encounter with Dr. Albert Schweitzer. O’Brian, who had already made a name for himself portraying the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp on television and appearing in numerous films, traveled to French Equatorial Africa for a visit with the German doctor-missionary-theologian-musician whom he had long admired. During his visit with Dr. Schweitzer, O’Brian spent his days assisting the volunteers in the doctor's remote hospital in Africa, and his nights with Dr. Schweitzer discussing global peace and world politics. Dr. Schweitzer told O’Brian that he felt “The most important thing in education is to teach young people to think for themselves.” These words inspired O’Brian to form a program educating our country’s youth and preparing them to be responsible leaders for our future. The first HOBY programs were held in California, and then in 1968 the scope of the program grew to include national and international participants at HOBY’s World Leadership Congress, which is still held annually. In an effort to include more students nationwide, three-day HOBY Leadership Seminars such as the one in Hawaii were instituted in 1977. Nearly five decades later, HOBY is still inspiring young people all over the world to develop their leadership and critical-thinking skills to achieve their highest potential. Currently, more than 8,000 tenth graders, representing as many high schools nationwide, attend HOBY Leadership Seminars each year. These seminars are run by over 4,000 volunteers who strive to follow the HOBY motto of teaching students, “how to think, not what to think,” thus ensuring that Dr. Schweitzer’s hope for young people lives on.

Contact person: Nicole Zendehdel, Program Director, (email)

Address:

10880 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 410 Los Angeles, CA 90024 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.hoby.org

Directions:

This is the address for HOBY's International Office. The local HOBY Hawaii program is held at a different location in Honolulu each spring.