Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

State Leadership Seminar:

Frequently Asked Questions

Our annual State Leadership Seminar brings together sophomore high school students to network with each other in an enthusiastic environment. Through our seminar curriculum, we help students develop their skills and experience in personal leadership, group leadership, and social responsibility through speakers, activities, collaborative discussions, and service events. 

During your HOBY Leadership Seminar, many dynamic leaders—all volunteers from the fields of business, education, government, and other professions—will address aspects of our changing world and the challenges future leaders will confront. The program will not promote any specific political party, religion, or way of thinking; but is designed to develop critical thinking skills by actively involving participants in discussions and informal debate. During the seminar, and after being equipped with the tools necessary, you will be asked to undertake a community service project (or projects) within your own community involving at least 100 hours of service during the year following your seminar. The purpose is to make a difference in your school, community, place of worship, or any other environment where you see a need.

Seminar participants may check in any time between 8:45 AM and 9:30 AM on Friday, June 16, 2023. The seminar will begin with Ambassador & Parent Orientation on June 16 at 9:30 AM and conclude with Closing Ceremonies on June 18 at 2:00 PM. You must be present for the entire seminar, including overnight.

The 2023 Leadership Seminar will take place at The University of Delaware in Newark, DE. 

Ambassadors will be staying in Independence Hall East, located at 302 David Hollowell Dr, Newark, DE 19717. 

No; all students are required to attend the entire seminar in order to gain the full experience and maintain the integrity of our program’s curriculum. When students complete their registration, they verify that they will be present for the entire seminar. We ask schools to work with their students to reschedule any important events (e.g., final exams, important assignments or due dates, etc.) and excuse any absences that result from the student attending our seminar.

Participants will be assigned to a residence hall room with two participants/room in a residence hall reserved exclusively for the seminar. Bathrooms are shared between two rooms. Everyone will receive nutritious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners (although breakfast is not provided on Friday, and dinner is not provided on Sunday).  On the Medical History Records Form, please indicate any special dietary considerations, including vegetarianism, and we will do our best to accommodate you. 

More details on accommodations, including a packing list, can be found here.

For a full outline of HOBY Delaware’s COVID-19 policies and procedures, click here

Parents, friends, and family members are discouraged from calling students during the seminar hours due to the disruption caused to panels and activities. In case of emergency, your parent(s) or guardian may call the Leadership Seminar Chair, Ananya Singh. The seminar will be chaperoned by qualified adults who will be staying at the facility 24 hours a day.

Please provide information about your medication in the Emergency Medical Information and bring the Physician Medication Verification Form with you to the seminar (documents are included in the Emergency Medical Information, which you must complete in addition to this form set). Make sure to read and comply with the Policy for Use of Medication During a HOBY Event.

Dress is casual throughout the weekend, so you should wear comfortable clothing. Portions of the seminar will take place outdoors and may include some physical activity, so “athleisure” is encouraged. However, business casual attire is expected for the Closing Ceremony on Sunday. 

Participants will be provided a HOBY Delaware T-Shirt, and there will be an announcement as to when you will wear the t-shirt during the weekend.

You are responsible for your transportation to and from the seminar. Any other transportation during the seminar will be arranged by HOBY Delaware. 

If circumstances arise that prevent you from attending the entire seminar, including overnight, we would like to give another student the opportunity to attend. Please notify the your school, and follow up with an email to us at hobyleadership.de@gmail.com

Any additional questions can be emailed to leadership@hobydelaware.org, and a member of our team will respond with more information. You can also call our Co- Leadership Seminar Chair, Sarah Jennings, at (302) 383-8543.

REGISTRATION QUESTIONS

For more information on program costs, click here!

Please refer to the email sent from HOBY International regarding registration instructions, which will be completed entirely online. If a school did not receive this email, they should contact HOBY Delaware for additional information. Schools will be able to start registering students on October 1, 2022 for the 2023 seminar. 

We are asking every high school in Delaware to register at least one student; however, we encourage schools to register as many as five students, which is one more student than in previous years. If schools wish to register any additional students after that, they should contact HOBY Delaware. 

In addition to registering up to five students, the school can register an alternate student at no cost. This alternate student will only attend the seminar if one of the primary students cannot attend. Registering an alternate student is helpful in the situation where one of the primary students cannot attend the seminar, so the alternate student attends in their place. In this situation, the registration fees for the primary student would transfer to the alternate student.

There is no correct answer to this question. Schools have the freedom to decide who they nominate to attend our seminar, whether they utilize an application, teacher nominations, or any other means for deciding. HOBY is most effective when the student wants to be there, so selecting the class president or current valedictorian is often ineffective. Additionally, we don’t just look for students who are already leaders in their community, but we look for students who have leadership potential and would benefit from the HOBY experience. If a school needs additional help deciding which students to select, they should contact HOBY Delaware for guidance. 

There is another option for students to attend our seminar. If a school does not nominate a student (whether they are not selected or the school does not participate with HOBY), students can apply under a community nomination. In this situation, a member of the community can nominate a student on hoby.org. An application will then be sent to the student for them to complete. A community nomination does not guarantee acceptance into the program. The registration fee still applies the same to community nominations and can be paid by the nominating community member or the student. 

One of our volunteers, Liam Furlong (leadership@hobydelaware.org, 302-333-3696), will be reaching out to schools individually to provide assistance in the registration process – please contact him with registration questions.

For any other general questions regarding our State Leadership Seminar, you can contact our Leadership Seminar Chairs, Ananya Singh and Sarah Jennings (leadership@hobydelaware.org).