Description:  Northern Illinois Leadership Seminar is a 100% volunteer 501c3 non-profit organization. One outstanding high school sophomore from each school in Illinois is invited to attend our annual weekend leadership seminar hosted in Chicago. We strive to develop leadership characteristics in Illinois youth by providing ... Read More Northern Illinois Leadership Seminar is a 100% volunteer 501c3 non-profit organization. One outstanding high school sophomore from each school in Illinois is invited to attend our annual weekend leadership seminar hosted in Chicago. We strive to develop leadership characteristics in Illinois youth by providing interactive opportunities for critical thinking and encouraging social responsibility among individuals and organizations. There is no cost to the students, parents or high schools involved in our leadership seminars. We choose these groups to be as diverse in location, race and gender as possible. In this environment, where there are no preconceived ideas, peer pressure or common groupthink, students are all challenged to verbalize their opinions, listen to those of others and begin to develop their own opinions on topics for the first time. The opportunity to speak their mind in a safe environment and hear anecdotal evidence of opinions different from their own is a first for most of our students. The weekend is interspersed with motivational speakers who have particularly outstanding stories and can provide the initial awareness for our students of the challenge one faces when taking responsibility for his/her own actions. We also introduce students to community service as a way to immediately take on leadership roles. Finally, we challenge each student to provide 100 hours of service in his/her local community. This effectively introduces the concept of giving back to those who gave them the opportunity to attend our seminar. Local churches, hospitals, public libraries, nature centers, 4H clubs, the American Cancer Society, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, YMCA, March of Dimes, the Salvation Army, Big Brothers/Big Sisters have all benefited from this challenge - to name a few. The 100 hours is in partnership with a federal program called The Partnership For America's Future.  Close