Building the future: a practice-based approach to youth leadership development

Purpose While leadership is a popular field of research and practice, there is a need for more studies emphasizing youth leadership development. The importance of youth leadership development in solving complex societal and organizational problems cannot be overemphasized. The purpose of this teaching tool is, first, to contribute to the field of youth leadership development. Secondly, gleaning from nonprofit work in Africa, this article aims to explore emerging leadership education approaches for developing young leaders. Design/methodology/approach This research maximizes a recent evaluation of the Teens and Youth in Leadership (TYIL) Fellowship program, conducted using a focus group interview with previous participants and assessing the impact and relevance of TYIL’s model for the leadership development among youth. Findings Participants believed that the model adopted by the TYIL Fellowship for youth leadership development is relevant for their personal leadership successes and can be adopted by other youth leadership programs. Originality/value The featured program is novel, with potential for broad application. Youth program leaders, faculty members and practitioners can utilize this teaching tool research for developing young leaders in their various contexts.