LEADS (Learn, Engage, Aspire, Do, Share) is an innovative leadership development program for youth. Over the semester, students will be introduced to the fundamentals of leadership and offered immersive and interactive experiences in distinct aspects of real-life community leadership. We will learn about the personal characteristics of leaders such as integrity, commitment, work ethic, problem-solving skills, perseverance, and compassion, and consider these as we learn about leadership roles in education, government, entrepreneurship and small business, travel and tourism, and non-profit and charities. Inspired by the Westlake Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Westlake program for adults, the LEADS youth program was developed by a Leadership Westlake alumnus to make the amazing benefits of leadership development accessible to youth with a curiosity and interest in becoming tomorrow's leaders.