HOBY Colorado began in 1978 and has been held every year since. HOBY Colorado holds many things near to the heart including our Mission, Vision, and Core Values which we believe best illustrate who we are and what we're about.
Mission
HOBY's mission is to inspire and develop our global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service and innovation. Our organizational values are volunteerism, integrity, excellence, diversity and community partnership. Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership provides lifelong leadership development opportunities that empower individuals to achieve their highest potential.
We hold volunteering and service at the heart of our organization, as we are built on this. If it weren't for volunteers, we wouldn't exist as we do. Most are alumni, and all are motivated to give something back. All volunteers are special, and at HOBY Colorado, there is nothing we appreciate quite as much as the hearts of ours.
Vision
We strive to motivate and empower individuals to make a positive difference within our local communities and global society through understanding and action based on effective and compassionate leadership.
HOBY Colorado appreciates the diversity of the work our volunteers contribute. We understand the need to recognize the power of “thank you” and giving back, as do our volunteers. We see the value our volunteers get when working together and with the students that join our program. We believe that volunteers are positively impacted by our seminar as much as the youth and communities we serve. As you can tell, we are all about service and continuing that service for a lifetime. We see our organization as an opportunity to help others recognize the need to serve as well, and show them what the gains will be.
Core Values
We believe that through serving and dedicating our time to others we learn and develop ourselves. Leaders should always be learning and we acknowledge this through our program as we implement activities that challenge our ambassadors. We demand the highest level of ethics and grow our organization based on interactions that promote mutual trust and respect with our stakeholders.
Volunteerism
We have the very highest of expectations of all of those who associate with our organization, from those that donate money to our volunteers. We aim for the greatest effectiveness within our organizational family, and we review our programs and processes constantly as we seek to improve our mission quality and efficiency while adhering to our values. We believe there is always room for improvement, as there is always the opportunity to learn more. Developing our programs in a way that helps our ambassadors better understand our mission and goals like leading through service secures the HOBY message and attitude for generations of alumni to come!
HOBY Colorado is truly unlike any other youth organization for many reasons, but one we hold particularly close is our constant commitment to volunteering. HOBY believes that through service, we become stronger leaders. This is why each year our service project is such a large part of the seminar weekend.
Because HOBY sees the need of all to serve, we consider this opportunity to work alongside our ambassadors as a significant one. Each L4S project we take on is completed together as an organization working toward a common goal that benefits the community.
Diversity
We celebrate diversity! HOBY Colorado seeks to create an environment where those from all walks of life feel comfortable and know their voices will be heard. We are sensitive to the special needs and diverse backgrounds of all individuals that participate in our seminars. We give all individuals an equal opportunity to be heard and to benefit from our programs.
Community Relationships
Our relationships with the community are important to us. Working with community organizations is a constant reminder of the good that can come from working together locally, in an effort to make change happen. As they say where there's a will, there's a way: because of the great relationships we have with our community network, together we will a way to bring HOBY Colorado back each year! Input from our partners is of high value to our organization, and we endeavor to work cooperatively and constructively for the betterment of all involved. Without our "CO"-mmunity, we wouldn't be HOBY CO!
Be Different!
Just as we understand the need for all voices to be heard, we understand the need for new ideas to be considered. HOBY Colorado prides itself on bringing in new topics for our young leaders to consider, posing critical thinking questions and allowing for creativity to flourish in a dynamic setting filled with their peers.