How can young adults become effective leaders? Written explicitly for teenagers, Preparing for Leadership offers a sucessfully tested model of leadership to help them build leadership skills. Grounded in concrete examples of school and youth group leadership situations confronted by young adults, this programme focuses on nine skills. It looks at leadership not as a position, but as a function within the group which promotes involvement and empowerment of group members. The programme is designed for use in youth leadership training programmes as well as by individuals who want to improve their leadership ability. Developed and tested by Ohio State University’s Mershon Center in collaboration with high school students and the educators of an international youth leadership programme, this book focuses on skills that should help young adults improve their abilities to meet leadership challenges in any group. The book begins with a look at the special demands of leadership in a global age. It then explores nine key leadership skills, illustrating basic principles through concrete examples of leadership situations confronted by young adults. Finally, it examines the impact of the group context and individual styles of leadership and presents a strategy young people can use to assess and strengthen their personal leadership skills. The markets for this work are high school leadership courses, organisations offering youth leadership training programmes, and high school and public libraries.