About Youth Lead Change

Our purpose is to empower youth by teaching leadership and social entrepreneurship skills based on empathy, inclusion and equity. Our collaborators are Outward Bound and Peace First, two international organizations providing world-class programs to support young people in becoming the change they want to see in the world and making change.

Outward Bound offers year-round adventure-based leadership and teambuilding courses which inspire compassion, inclusion and service to others. With mountain, river, coastal and Everglades basecamps in North Carolina, Florida and Patagonia, Argentina, North Carolina Outward Bound has been changing lives through challenge and discovery for over 50 years.

Peace First is a free social entrepreneurship platform that helps young people around the world to become powerful peacemakers for sustainable social and environmental change. “Social entrepreneurship” applies business principals to solve social, cultural or environmental problems in practical and innovative ways. Peace First provides national and international youth symposia to help young people scale their initiatives through collaboration and increasing levels of grant awards.

Youth Lead Change is the local network of support providing monthly in-person coaching workshops, a webpage to promote each youth project and engage volunteers, and local partners to increase impact.

Youth Lead Change Community Impact

Throughout the year, Youth Lead Change will offer assemblies, courses, mentorships, and grants via Peace First and North Carolina Outward Bound School, including $10,000 in scholarships pledged by North Carolina Outward Bound for Community Leadership Award applicants who demonstrate positive community impact.

What our young people will learn:

  • Leadership
  • Compassion
  • Teambuilding
  • Empathy
  • Inclusion & Diversity Awareness
  • Models for Positive Change
  • Business Skills
  • Civics
  • Community Engagement

MAST Academy Green Champions at work.

North Carolina Outward Bound Schools

For 50 years, North Carolina Outward Bound School (NCOBS) has delivered challenging outdoor adventure-based experiential education to people of all ages and walks of life. These programs help individuals discover their strength of character, ability to lead, and desire to serve.

NCOBS is a non-profit organization proud to be part of a national network of Outward Bound schools in the US and all over the world. Learn more here.

“There is more in us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less.” -Kurt Hahn, Founder, Outward Bound

Click here to purchase a copy of “Outward Bound Lessons to Live a Life of Leadership” by Mark Brown.

Peace First

Peace First is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young people around the world to become powerful social entrepreneurs and peacemakers by: Investing in their ideas; Providing them with tools, knowledge and skills; Building their social-emotional awareness; and Sharing their stories and impact locally and globally for over 30 years.

Now is the time to unleash this untapped resource by teaching young people the skills they need to solve the problems that matter most to them, investing in the ideas that will help change our world for the better, and celebrating the stories of youth peacemaking happening around the world. Learn more here.

“Young people are our most powerful forces for change. Not someday in the future. Right now!” -Eric Dawson, Founder, Peace First

Click here to purchase a copy of “Putting Peace First” by Eric Dawson.