Leaders International, formerly known as Youth Leaders International (YLI) [1] is a 501(c)3 organization based in Spencerville, MD. Leaders' website is www.leaders.org. It is now known by the abbreviation Leaders.
Leaders was founded in 1996 by Jerry Samet. [2] It is headquartered in Spencerville, Maryland, USA.
In the summer of 2013, Leaders is hosting the Leaders United Program in Washington DC. This program is focused on developing individual and team leadership skills, sustainability, globalization, and conflict resolution. [3]
Leaders has run programs taking place in June - August since 1997. [4] In 1997 Leaders went to Ireland. [5] In 2002 and 2003 at Leaders' World Leaders Conference, Leaders partnered with Workable Peace. [6] In 2003 Leaders participated in Community Volunteer Day to Beautify DC Public Schools that was run by Service For Peace. [7]
Some of the notable speakers Leaders has had are:
Leaders had a 2011 Global Leaders Program in Washington, D.C. July 23–30, 2011. [8]
Leaders International, headquartered in Maryland, is overseen by a Board of Directors, and is advised in educational matters by an Education Panel. [9] Day-to-day activities are run by the Leaders Staff and the Youth Leaders International Foundation Staff, while Programs are run by education professionals and Leaders alumni.
Australia (Melbourne & Sydney)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo)
Canada (Montreal & Winnipeg)
China (Beijing)
Czech Republic (Prague)
Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo)
France (Paris & Noisy le Grand)
Greece
Honduras (Tegucigalpa)
Ireland (Dublin)
Israel (Haifa, Holon, Metulla, Lehavim, Modiin, Tel Aviv, Tirat-Carmel, Yavne)
Kenya (Nairobi)
Moldova (Chisinau)
Peru (Lima)
Philippines (Manila)
Romania (Bucharest & Turnu-Severin)
Russia (Moscow & Volgograd)
Turkey (Istanbul)
USA (Fosston MN, Minneapolis MN, Waterport NY, Kansas City MO, Silver Spring MD, Eastlake OH, Oakton VA)
On May 14, 2013, the organization changed its name from Youth Leaders International to Leaders International, citing the desire for a simpler name, as well as to avoid the confusion that the term "youth" causes in different areas of the world. The organization also launched a new logo to go along with the new name. [11]
The name Youth Leaders International also previously referred to the student community and Humans of High School Blog founded by Jessica Jiwon Choe in 2015. Since 2017, the organization changed its name to Worldwide Student Social and Worldwide Student Social Blog respectively. Worldwide Student Social (WWS) is composed of students all over the globe creating "a community to thrive in" by sharing common interests in the Worldwide Student Social Blog, submitting queries and answers in the Student Advice Column, and participating in speech/service opportunities that WWS showcases. As of 2017, WWS has brought together students from 25 schools in 5 countries and has accumulated over 8,000 hits on its WWS Blog.
Youth activism is the participation in community organizing for social change by persons between the ages of 15–24. Youth activism has led to a shift in political participation and activism. A notable shift within youth activism is the rise of “Alter-Activism” resulting in an emphasis on lived experiences and connectivity amongst young activists. The young activists have taken lead roles in public protest and advocacy around many issues like climate change, abortion rights and gun violence. Different from past protest or advocacy, technology has become the backbone to many of these modern youth movements. It has been shown in multiple studies that internet use along with seeking information online is shown to have positive impacts on political engagement. Popular applications like Twitter, Instagram and YouTube have become the newest tools for young activists in the 21st century. Technology and the use of digital media has changed the way youth participate in activism globally, and youth are more active in media than older generations.
Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and in other countries, particularly through the establishment of "sister cities"—broad and long-term agreements formally recognized by civic leaders. Its mission is to "build global cooperation at the municipal level, promote cultural understanding and stimulate economic development". A total of 1,800 cities, states, and counties are partnered in 138 countries worldwide.
The Experiment in International Living, or The Experiment, is a worldwide program offering homestays, language, arts, community service, ecological adventure, culinary, and regional and cultural exploration programs of international cross-cultural education for high school students. It is administered by World Learning, a non-profit, international development and education organization based in Brattleboro, Vermont, in the United States.
The second goal in the United Nations Millennium Development Goal is to achieve Universal Primary Education, more specifically, to "ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike will be required to complete a full course of primary schooling." Education is vital to meeting all other Millennium Development Goals: "Educating children gives the next generation the tools to fight poverty and prevent disease, including malaria and AIDS." Despite the significance of investing in education, the recent report, Fixing the Broken Promise of Education for All: Findings from the Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children—produced by UNESCO Institute for Statistics and UNICEF found that the world has missed this 2015 target of universal primary education, and there are currently 58 million children, of primary school age, out of school worldwide.
Kailash Satyarthi is an Indian social reformer who campaigned against child labor in India and advocated the universal right to education. In 2014, he was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Malala Yousafzai, "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education." He is the founder of multiple social activist organizations, including Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Global March Against Child Labour, Global Campaign for Education, Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation, and Bal Ashram Trust.
The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy is the public policy school of the University of Virginia.
National Peace Corps Association is an American nonprofit organization for future, current, and returned Peace Corps Volunteers, former Peace Corps staff, host country counterparts, and family and friends of the Peace Corps. It works to support the Peace Corps community, encourage lifelong practice of the ideals of the Peace Corps, and serves as an advocacy organization to support, expand, and improve the Peace Corps.
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is a 501(c) organization that focuses on international student exchange and aid, foreign affairs, and international peace and security. IIE creates programs of study and training for students, educators, and professionals from various sectors. The organization says its mission is to "build more peaceful and equitable societies by advancing scholarship, building economies, and promoting access to opportunity".
The International Women's Democracy Center is a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., United States, established in 1995 to strengthen women's global leadership through education, networking and research with a focus on increasing the role of women in politics, policy and decision-making within their own governments.
Spencerville Adventist Academy is a Seventh-day Adventist full K-12 day academy located in Spencerville, Montgomery County, Maryland. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system. Its first year began in 1943 with six students and has grown to its present enrollment of over four hundred. Spencerville Adventist Academy has just opened its newly constructed facility on the outskirts of Burtonsville Maryland. They offer Pre-K through 12th grade college preparatory education. The school is open to all faiths but generally gives first right to enroll to students from Seventh-Day Adventist churches. They are also one of the first LEED certified schools in Montgomery County.
Skateistan is a non-profit organization that uses skateboarding and education to empower children. Over 2,500 children, aged 5–17, attend Skateistan's programs in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. 50% of students are girls. Through their innovative programs, Outreach, Skate and Create, Back-to-School, Dropping In and Youth Leadership, Skateistan aims to give children the opportunity to become leaders for a better world. Skateistan has Skate Schools in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; and Johannesburg, South Africa. The international headquarters is in Berlin, Germany.
buildOn is an international nonprofit organization that runs youth service afterschool programs in United States high schools and builds schools in developing countries. The organization's programs engage young Americans from mostly urban areas in community service and promote literacy among children and adults in developing countries.
Since its inception the Baháʼí Faith has had involvement in socioeconomic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics.
Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) is a Chicago-based non-profit founded in 2002 by Eboo Patel. In May 2022 it changed its name to Interfaith America. The organization’s stated mission is to make interfaith cooperation a social norm. Today it operates with approximately 30 full-time staff and a $4-million budget. It has worked on five continents and with over 200 college campuses domestically.
Musicians Without Borders (MWB) is an umbrella organization working with local organizations and musicians to bring social change and peaceful, liveable conditions to their own communities. It was founded in 1999 by Laura Hassler, an American peace activist and musician. From their projects and programs, MWB has developed its training program, sharing skills and knowledge with musicians around the world, in support of their continuing work in their local communities.
Global SchoolNet (GSN) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) international educational organization that serves as a clearinghouse for collaborative educational projects, many that are based on the Constructivist Learning model. The organization coordinates projects and competitions focused on humanitarian issues, diplomacy, leadership, innovative teaching, entrepreneurship, STEM, and other academics for schools and youth organizations internationally. About 150,000 educators from 194 countries have registered as members of Global SchoolNet, and about 5.5 million students from 109 countries have participated in GSN projects as of 2020. Global SchoolNet is known for two international competitions, the International CyberFair for students in grades kindergarten through high school, and the U.S. State Department-sponsored Doors to Diplomacy for ages 12 through 19. Global SchoolNet was established in 1984 as Free Educational Mail (FrEdMail) in San Diego, California, where its headquarters still exists.
Nicholas Carl Martin is an American technologist, entrepreneur, and educator best known for founding the international organization TechChange in 2010.
Education is recognized as a social determinant of health. Education has also been identified as a social vaccine against contracting HIV. Research suggests a negative linear relationship between educational attainment and HIV infection rate, especially the educational attainment of women and girls.
Roots & Shoots was founded by Jane Goodall, DBE in 1991 with the goal of bringing together youth from preschool to university age to work on environmental, conservation and humanitarian issues. The organization has local chapters in over 140 countries with over 8000 local groups worldwide that involve nearly 150,000 youth. Many of the chapters operate through schools and other organizations. Participants are encouraged to identify and work on problems in their own communities affecting people, animals, or the environment. Charity Navigator has awarded Roots & Shoots and its parent non-profit organization, the Jane Goodall Institute, its highest four-star rating for accountability and transparency, with 78.1% of its expenses going directly to the programs.