“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – John F. Kennedy

Justin in North Carolina was disappointed to find out there wasn’t an outdoor club connecting students at Western Carolina University to kayaking. After attending the 2010 Outdoor Nation Summit in NYC, Justin stated a kayaking club at his school. Today, nearly 100 students routinely paddle together and organize community festivals to engage the broader community.

In Charlotte, Anthony Sheehan started a Campus Club program that is now the model of a national Outdoor Nation pilot program in Washington DC and Atlanta. Last year, after attending the Outdoor Nation Summit, Anthony worked with his local county park and a ‘Title 1’ middle school start an Outdoor Club. In the first few months, club members built a school garden and went on four outdoor outings. In addition to a greater appreciation for the outdoors, members had a 5 percent decline in documented misbehavior and 40 percent fewer unexcused absences. With this success, Outdoor Nation is launching similar programs in 8 high schools – with expansion plans for next year.

And, in response to wanting a greater voice in decisions that impact youth and the outdoors, Kris, Palma and Kimberly joined together to launch the State Park Youth Ambassador program – where one young leader in every state is selected to increase awareness and support for the state park system. In late 2011, this group traveled to Washington DC to meet with top officials in the Administration and Congress – including the Secretary of Interior.

Lots of people have great ideas, but far fewer people are willing to do the hard work it takes to make change. Amanda, Katie and John didn’t sit back and watch others improve their communities. They jumped in with both feet and they got it done.

We bet you will too. That’s why you’re here. You’ve come to the right place. We are here to help.

Take a few minutes and look around. We’ve highlighted FIVE critical steps you can take to turn your great idea into reality. Let's get started - check out Step 1!

Additional Resources

Harvard Business Review: Get lost in articles on innovation, strategy, leadership and more!
Fast Company: Even more inspiration for success. Check out articles on innovation in technology, ethonomics (ethical economics), leadership and design.
Do Something U: Learn how to start, grow and maintain your project. Tons (and tons!) of info on finances to legal to technology.
Dream It – Youth Venture: Learn how to find an idea for a venture, form a team, complete an action plan and succeed in the selection panel process. Priceless!
Student Leadership Training Booklet: All you ever wanted to know about how to be a stand-out youth leader.
Google Docs: Need we say more? Store and share your project docs (for FREE)!