We unleash the leadership potential of Illinois youth.

We don't teach students what to think. We don't even teach students how to think. ILS is dedicated to stressing the importance of careful thought for both today's and tomorrow's leaders.

Illinois Leadership Seminars’ mission is to unleash the leadership potential of Illinois Youth. It is not our goal to teach participants what to think, nor how to think, but rather to stress the importance of careful thought. To that end, we value a strong diversity of thoughts, opinions, and perspectives and believe we are made stronger as a society when we support equity and inclusion for all. Leaders stand in their courage and ask tough questions, even when they are uncomfortable. Leaders believe every human being is valuable. Leaders believe marginalization and systems of oppression must end. Leaders say, “I stand next to you in support of your experience, even though it may not be my own.” 

Systemic racial injustice requires us as leaders now more than ever to assert: Black lives matter. We encourage discussion of this truth and what it means.

In these challenging and stressful times, members of our ILS family are hurting. We ask all alumni, volunteers, and donors to begin the process of using the leadership skills from their own ILS experiences towards goals that benefit all: equity, unity, and justice. Give a voice to those being marginalized, take a stand for what you believe in, listen to each other, and be the leaders your communities so desperately need right now. While it will not be easy, we support you; this process is necessary to bring meaningful change. 

Illinois Leadership Seminars stands in solidarity with leaders striving for a more just, equitable society. We will do whatever we can to see you, hear you, affirm you, and support you. You are not alone.

Our Response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

Like many of you, we at the Illinois Leadership Seminars have been monitoring the constant flow of information concerning the COVID-19 virus.  The landscape seems to change by the minute as new inputs are being received from the World Health Organization, the CDC, Federal, State and local municipalities, school administrations and concerned parents.

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The Illinois Leadership Seminar Corporate Board and Seminar Planning Committee want to keep you informed on our decisions during the ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic.

As we previously mentioned, the health and safety of our leaders, volunteers, staff, and alumni remains our paramount concern. With this in mind, we have made the decision to postpone our ILS Flagship Seminar planned for June 2020 until June 2021. This is not a decision that was taken lightly and we are assessing how to make the greatest impact for our 2020 and 2021 leaders. 

We plan to stay strong in our mission through these uncharted times while also looking out for the safety of our alumni and future leaders of this country. We know that many of you are as disappointed as we are, but we are confident that this is the best and safest decision for everyone. The postponement of Seminar will give us even more time to make 2021 the best year for ILS yet! Now more than ever is the time to lean on your ILS family, stay engaged, and keep an eye out for more announcements. We will come out of this stronger together!

Thank you for your patience and support.

For more information on COVID-19 updates and guidelines, please visit the following sites:

www.CDC.gov

www.who.int

https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus

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If you have further questions about how our organization is handling our events, please read our FAQ document linked below or reach out to our president, Hopper Oehler, using the contact button below.