The nature and meaning of leadership is changing in response to a dramatically changing society, and the rise of complex challenges.

 Leadership is increasingly seen as situational and as an inherently collaborative, social and relational activity. Because of this, the social and emotional skills or competencies that foster and build interpersonal relationships – such as relationship management and communication, self-discipline, flexibility, creativity, and emotional intelligence – are crucial. The field of leadership has much to offer in terms of helping build up young people’s skills and capacities in order to make positive contributions to their communities, alongside building their employ-ability skills

• Providing young people with the opportunity to develop and exercise leadership can have benefits
for the individual young person, their peer group and society more broadly. 

The emotional and social skills that enable effective leadership have broader significance beyond their potential to prepare young people to take on formal leadership roles; these skills are crucial to young people’s successful transition to adulthood. Additionally, youth leadership can serve as a vehicle for tackling
pressing social challenges and catalysing positive social change

• Unresolved debates on some key issues may impede the development of the field. 

These include debates around the relationship between authority and leadership; a reliance on deficit models
of youth leadership, and questions surrounding the distinction between ‘youth’ and ‘adult’ leadership
respectively; the use of the language of ‘leadership’ among practitioners; and ongoing debates
around whether leadership is inherent, versus something that can be developed

• There is a wide debate around what youth leadership is, and how best to develop young people’s
leadership skills. Based on our research and consultations, we have proposed a definition of youth
leadership:   ‘Young people empowered to inspire and mobilise themselves and others towards a
common purpose, in response to personal and/or social issues and challenges, to effect
positive change’

• While there is no single model for effective practice, there are certain ingredients that are common to
successful leadership programmes.  Effective practice includes opportunities that engage young people in challenging action, around issues that reflect their genuine needs and offer authentic opportunities to make decisions and effect change, in an environment of support in which young people can reflect on their experiences. Opportunities should be sustainable to ensure that young people can carry their leadership skills into adulthood, and this should include clear progression routes and appropriate support at all stages.

Embedding youth leadership into organisational cultures and structures can further promote youth
leadership development.  Meaningful power-sharing among adults and young people can, however, be difficult to achieve. ‘Youth-driven’ models of organisation can yield the most comprehensive results, in terms of empowering participants as well as benefits for the organisation – but can be time-consuming and difficult to sustain. Generating organisational commitment to youth-centred structures and processes poses a significant challenge