Saving the World: HOBY Ambassadors Learn the Importance of Volunteering in the World

By Allison Zoe Schneider

OUTSTANDING. That’s just one word to describe the experience of the Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership camp. It’s also one of the many cheers those who attend HOBY will participate in throughout the session.

“HOBY taught me a lot about friendships and leadership skills,” said Tug Harris 11 of MMHS who attended HOBY last Spring.

Actor Hugh O’Brian was inspired to begin the camp in 1958 after spending a summer in Africa working with missionary and humanitarian, Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Today, approximately 9,000 students worldwide attend HOBY seminars each year.

“It was probably the single most amazing thing in my life, I still keep in touch with the people I met there and it really opened my eyes to poverty in the world,” said Hannah Morgan 12, who attended HOBY in Spring 2008.

Ambassadors are chosen from high schools around the world to attend their local HOBY seminar. In Washington, sophomores from around the state stay at Gonzaga University for three days making friends and being a little more crazy than they might feel comfortable being at home.

But HOBY is more than exciting cheers and learning how to “rip up your cool card” and be yourself. Ambassadors will participate in leadership exercises, listen to speakers, and spend time working on a service project—all in order to learn the importance of volunteering in the community and world.

“I volunteered at an Old Folk’s Home. You learn people skills and it teaches you how fun helping people can be,” said Colin Cardwell 12 who also attended HOBY in Spring 2008.

This year, RAL sophomores planning to attend HOBY are Jessica Johanson-Kubin and Alison Kolberg.

In many high schools, prospective ambassadors must apply for a chance to attend HOBY, but because the school board is unable to pay the fees for HOBY, it has become first-come, first-serve. The HOBY dates for the WA seminar this upcoming spring are June 6-8.

“We used to help fund that [HOBY] but it became so expensive,” said Mrs. Cochis, of the counseling department.

RAL Juniors Bill Davenport and Allison Schneider attended the seminar last Spring and are planning on returning as Team Alumni (TA) this year. TAs help to make the seminar run smoothly. To be a TA, you must have completed at least 100 volunteer hours the year after you attend HOBY as a sophomore.

“It’s really motivated me to do a lot of volunteer work in the community. I have over 150 hours since the school year started,” said Harris.

Being a HOBY alumni looks fantastic on college and job applications and provides students with leadership skills and an appreciation for volunteering that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.