About HOBY

ORIGIN & HISTORY

In 1958, Hugh O'Brian returned from Africa highly inspired by a visit with Dr. Albert Schweitzer.  Later that year, he decided to make his own contribution to society by establishing HOBY.  Since that time, HOBY has motivated thousands of young people to realize their leadership potential by conducting annual seminars on a variety of subjects which focus around the theme of "America's Incentive System."

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT

During 1958 to 1967, the leadership seminars took place in Los Angeles, California, for students from that area.  Since then, HOBY's program has focused on an annual week-long "World Leadership Congress."  Every year since 1968, high school sophomores, representing each state and thirty countries, have had the opportunity to interact with nationally recognized leaders from various fields.  Since 1976, HOBY has been developing individual state seminars for sophomores to experience the program on a statewide basis.

CENTRAL PA LEADERSHIP SEMINAR

The geographic size and number of schools in Pennsylvania dictate a need for three seminars, one each for the east, central and western parts of the state.  The Central PA seminar is a four-day workshop modeled after HOBY's World Leadership Congress, and hosts 240 students from high schools essentially in the 570 and 717 area codes.  One boy and one girl will be chosen to represent the Central PA seminar at the World Leadership Congress sponsored by a major university every summer.

Today, over 375,000 proud alumni make HOBY stronger than ever. HOBY alumni are leaders in their schools and communities, throughout the United States and the world, making a difference for others through service. Want to see the impact of HOBY firsthand? Get involved as a student, school, parent, alumni, volunteer or supporter – simply select the area of your choice.

MISSION, VISION, & CORE VALUES 

 Our Mission is to inspire and develop our global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service and innovation. Our vision 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.  Our Core Values Include:

• Volunteerism - Volunteerism is the heart and soul of our organization. We appreciate the myriad contributions of our volunteers, and recognize the power of thank you and of giving back. We seek to promote and encourage service among our stakeholders. We recognize and value the positive accomplishments that volunteers can achieve by working together. We believe that volunteers are positively impacted by our programs as much as the youth and communities we serve.
• Integrity – Integrity forms the foundation of our organization. We demand the highest level of ethics. We grow our organization based on interactions that promote mutual trust and respect with our stakeholders and partners. We strive to ensure the highest level of organizational effectiveness by continually reviewing our programs and processes to improve quality and efficiency.
• Excellence – We strive to continually raise our programs and business to new levels of excellence. We encourage entrepreneurship and innovation in business, education, and social responsibility. We develop creative solutions to address challenges and to utilize opportunities. We believe that leadership skills can and should be continually improved and refined.
• Diversity – We value and embrace diversity. We seek out views that reflect all walks of life, and reflect those views in our programs. We are sensitive to the special needs and diverse backgrounds of individuals. We give all individuals an equal opportunity to be heard and to benefit from our programs.
• Community Partnership – We value community partnerships. We recognize the importance of working with community organizations to strengthen our supportive network. We value the input we receive from our community partners, and strive to work together cooperatively and constructively for the betterment of all.