HOBY State Leadership Seminars provide youth with unique leadership training to equip them with the tools they need to make a positive change in their home, school, and community.
Ben Havens recently attended the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar held at The University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas. Havens joined more than 150 other young high school leaders from the region. Representing Wortham High School, Ben is the son of John and Katherine Havens.
Each spring, select area sophomores from public and private high schools convene at one of the 70 State Leadership Seminars across the country to recognize their leadership talents and apply them to becoming effective and ethical leaders. Student participants (known as HOBY Ambassadors) take part in hands-on activities, meet leaders in their state, and explore their own personal leadership skills while learning how to lead others and make a positive impact in their community.
While attending the leadership conference, Ben volunteered at Mission Arlington helping with food donations for the needy. At the end of their seminars, HOBY Ambassadors are challenged to give back by serving at least 100 volunteer hours in their communities. Students who complete the Leadership for Service (L4S) Challenge within 12 months of their seminar are eligible for the HOBY L4S Challenge Award and the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Alumni who log 4,000 hours of service receive the President’s Call to Service Award from HOBY. To date, HOBY Ambassadors have performed over 3 million hours of volunteer service in their communities.
Following a motivational meeting with Dr. Albert Schweitzer during a trip to Africa in 1958, Actor Hugh O’Brian was inspired to establish Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership. “One of the things Dr. Schweitzer said to me was that the most important thing in education was to teach young people to think for themselves,” O’Brian said. “From that inspiration, and with the support of others who believe in youth and the American dream, I started HOBY to seek out, recognize, and develop outstanding leadership potential among our nation’s youth.”
After the conference, Ben was very excited and motivated to take all that he has learned back to Wortham High School and hopes to influence his peers to volunteer and serve our surrounding communities.
