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Welcome to the October 2008 edition of the LeadAmerica Alumni Newsletter! A
MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER
The 2008 LeadAmerica conference season was marked by over 10,000 outstanding students attending conferences throughout the United States and Abroad and concluded with a select group of students being part of history in the making as they attended the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in Denver and Minneapolis, respectively. All of those students have now joined an alumni network of over 70,000 LeadAmerica Alumni Scholars from around the world. 2009 will start off no less remarkably with the phenomenal capstone Presidential Youth Leadership Conference (PYLC) in Washington, DC during the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America! I can’t believe it’s been four years already since over 400 students and staff converged on our nation’s capitol to witness the historic swearing in of our current president and the ensuing Inaugural Parade that followed. In addition to that our students attended a blow-out youth rally, took part in an awesome political simulation, and drank in all the sights and experiences that historic and great city has to offer. The upcoming conference will be no exception and we’re planning some really remarkable experiences that will blow the top off anything that we did in 2005! As you focus on schoolwork and the many exciting extracurricular activities, adventures and opportunities that life brings your way, we at LeadAmerica are proud to include you in our family and wish you every success and achievement in the coming months as you continue on your path of a lifetime commitment to leadership, service and learning. I trust that you, like all of us, are excited about the upcoming year and the phenomenal conference season that is unfolding for us in just a few short months. Stay in touch and look for some exciting new information about our 2009 offerings. In the meantime, be sure to reserve your space for January 16th to the 21st in Washington – I’ll be there and I look forward to seeing you, too!
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK Liberty and Leadership As a respected magistrate in 18th Century France, Chretien Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes was renown for his criticism of the despotic actions of the French monarch and the royal administration. However, against the backdrop of the chaos of the French Revolution, the aged Malesherbes volunteered to represent the arrested monarch Louis XVI as his defense attorney. For his respect of legal precedent and the dictates of liberty, Malesherbes was rewarded with the same fate of Louix XVI - the guillotine. His belief in liberty inspired his sense of duty and empowered him to lead, even though it cost him his life. His legacy and respect for the duties of liberty would be revived in the pen of his great grandson, Alexis de Tocqueville, one of the greatest defenders of liberty and the duties of such. The relationship between liberty and leadership is crucial in understanding the responsibilities the may or may not result from leadership. The great political philosopher John Stuart Mill argued that “Liberty consists in doing what one desires.”1 Conversely, the British statesman Lord Acton argued that liberty is “not the power of doing what we like, but the right of being able to do what we ought.”2 Liberty can therefore be defined as either the power or right to do what we want, or the power or right to do what we ought. Essentially, does liberty free us as leaders to pursue our own ends exclusively or does it empower us with a moral imperative to lead and serve an agenda outside of and beyond ourselves? What Malesherbes understood and Alexis de Tocqueville argued is that the dictates of political and economic liberty places certain duties and responsibilities upon leaders. Though liberty enables us to lead, this leadership demands the discretion of duty. To live in a free society like the United States of America is a tremendous blessing. But it must be remembered that the context of liberty places certain duties on those who would lead within this context. Rather than understanding this relationship as the shackles of duty, thinkers like Acton and de Tocqueville understand that liberty empowers leaders with the moral imperative of servant leadership. History demonstrates that liberty is the greatest element that can empower and inspire mankind. It also demonstrates that liberty understood as separate from duty and responsibility, as something opposed to service, is the root of despotism. Perhaps the great Roman writer Livy summarized the blessing of liberty best, “They should use their liberty with discretion.”3 Cited Works: 2 John Dalberg-Acton, Selected Writings of Lord Acton, vol. 3, Essays in Religion, Politics and Morality, ed. J.R. Fears (Indianapolis: Liberty Classics, 1988) 613. 3 Livy, Livy (London: Heinemann, 1919-1959), vol. 10, bk. 34, 49.
Taking It to the World: LeadAmerica Alum Joshua Sauer Turns Interest In The Health Field Into School Philanthropy
Joshua participated in LeadAmerica’s Congressional Student Leadership Conference (CSLC) on Medicine & Healthcare in 2007, instilling in him a desire to increase awareness of health issues affecting impoverished countries. Motivated by this desire, he decided to begin building awareness in his school by creating an organization that would emphasize this matter. After corresponding with his school’s administration and writing proposals through the remainder of the summer of 2007, he was able to establish Citizens of the World Society (a/k/a “COWS”). This new organization works under the student council and was launched in September of 2007 to a great response by the students at Schechter Day School. Meetings are held each week and the society chose to target malaria and AIDS as their first awareness campaign. Along with awareness, their goal was to bring in donations to the society to aid in paying for malaria vaccinations in African countries. Fundraisers were held twice a month during school, and at school plays, Back-2-School Night, College Night, and Family Fun days. COWS sold muffins, world stress balls and raffles at each of these events, and raised over $1,000 for the two causes over the course of the school year. Citizens of the World has since become one of the strongest philanthropic groups on campus with new members joining each week. Recently, the society agreed upon its two main causes for the 2007/2008 school year -- Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres and supporting a program which provides Plumpy’nutrition bars to children in impoverished nations to help them gain the nutrition they need. (Plumnpy’nut is a peanut-butter food for the acutely malnourished which may have transformed the way hungry people are treated). Publicity for the society has been in the form of posters around schools and flyers that are passed out at school with facts about malaria and AIDS to increase awareness, as well as Facebook groups and events. The society also currently sponsors school assemblies and brings in speakers like Ross Szabo of The National Mental Health Awareness Campaign to enlighten students on issues with the health of today’s society. An upcoming miniature golf tournament will hopefully be a strong fundraiser for raising money for Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres and Plumpy’nut bars. “Everything we do is for the education and awareness of health issues having huge effects in countries less advanced than the United States, and our goal is to get everyone to either take action or to donate to our causes” Joshua has stated. His other goal is to ensure the program’s success after he graduates and to implement organizations like COWS in other schools. “I am currently working on a step-by-step program for other schools to follow in order to begin their own successful organizations.” LeadAmerica congratulates Joshua on the success of Citizens of the World, wishes him much success with the future endeavors for the program! ***** Would you like your
leadership and service activities profiled
in the LeadAmerica Alumni Newsletter? Send
us your news! LeadAmerica wants to build
on the belief that teens are capable contributors
to society with valuable ideas and the
energy to become involved in their community.
Each month, one student will be spotlighted
for his or her outstanding achievements
in their school and community. Become a
LeadAmerica Student of the Month! Send
your story to alumni@lead-america.org.
The Democratic National Convention and Republican National Convention came to a close earlier this month, generating a great deal of excitement for the upcoming election. Each Presidential candidate and Vice Presidential candidate has officially accepted the nomination by their respective party and each day on the campaign trail has become a battleground leading to Election Day in November. We want to know what you think! Which Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates have earned your support in the 2008 Election? Barack Obama and Joseph Biden? John McCain and Sarah Palin? Or are you still deciding? To cast your vote on the LeadAmerica online poll and view last month’s poll results, visit www.lead-america.org/alumni. To learn more about the 2008 Presidential Candidates, please visit the official websites for Presidential Candidate Barack Obama and Presidential Candidate John McCain.
BOOKS IN REVIEW Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became
an Extraordinary Leader From the pen of a domestic policy analyst in the Reagan White House comes an intimate and revealing study of one of the most enigmatic Presidents of the 20th Century. More so than probably any President of that century, Reagan was perceived by nearly everyone, including his White House staff, as ordinary even at times incompetent. D’Souza shared this general perception and notes, “When I look back at Reagan, however, I am struck by the degree to which I underestimated him… Previously I admired the man but had doubts about his leadership. Now I see that he had his faults as an individual but was an outstanding statesman and leader.” Though D’Souza addresses Reagan’s communication skills and down to earth style for which he is remembered, D’Souza stresses that what made Ronald Reagan an extraordinary President and leader was his vision. D’Souza argues that the power of vision not only elevated Reagan to the White House, but it is one of the central skills needed by emerging leaders today. Vision, as D’Souza defines it, allows leaders like Reagan to conceptualize the world differently than it currently exists, ultimately enabling them to become the decisive agent of change in history. D’Souza explains, “While others were obsessed and bewildered by the problems of the present, Reagan focused on the future. This orientation gave Reagan an otherworldly quality that is often characteristic of great men.” It was this vision, this moral imagination that made Ronald Reagan an ambassador of hope and brought optimism to a nation facing tremendous domestic and foreign challenges in the early 1980’s. It was this vision that enabled Reagan to focus on results rather than personal aggrandizement. Ultimately, it was the power of his optimistic vision that transformed him from ordinary to extraordinary. Much more than a text that adeptly surveys the landscape of American politics in the 1980’s; this slim volume ultimately provides a case study on the virtues necessary for emerging leaders who desire to be extraordinary.
Are you looking for better ways to serve your community? We have a few ideas for monthly service projects. Try some of the following for the months of October and November – there is even a little something to prepare for in the month of December! Send us your group’s photos or the story of your success and you may be featured in the LeadAmerica Alumni Newsletter! Sponsor a Canned
Food Drive Need a game plan for distributing the items? Talk to the local soup kitchen, religious center, or join forces with a local organization that is already collecting for the community; together, you can achieve more! Tips and Warnings
Shovel
Snow for Homebound Individuals
For more than two hundred years, America’s citizens have witnessed the Inauguration ceremonies of the President and Vice President of the United States. From the first Inauguration of George Washington, in New York City, in 1789, to today, as we prepare for the upcoming Presidential Inauguration, the swearing-in ceremony represents both national renewal and continuity of leadership. This January, LeadAmerica Alumni are invited to attend the Presidential Youth Leadership Conference at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC. Held every four years during the inauguration of the President of the United States, the PYLC gives you the chance to experience aspects of one of the greatest events in politics and government. No matter who is sworn in as president, this is certain to be the ultimate political event and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience first-hand the excitement of the Presidential Inauguration and to attend Inaugural events such as the Presidential Oath of Office and the Inaugural Parade. Visit the Presidential Youth Leadership Conference to learn more.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION The conclusion of the 2008 LeadAmerica
conference season brought some exciting
new changes to LeadAmerica, including the
over 10,000 new Alumni Scholars who have
joined the ranks of the LeadAmerica Alumni
Association! As an integral part of the
LeadAmerica community, we look forward
to hearing your news, reading your accomplishments,
and answering your questions. Welcome to
our family! If you would like an opportunity to earn an Alumni Scholarship, review the 2008 Rewards Program for more information on how you can start earning Rewards Points! Information is available on the Alumni Website at www.lead-america.org/alumni. Take a moment to log on and see the many new and exciting things happening at LeadAmerica!
NOMINATE
A FRIEND!
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It’s
Fall, school’s back in
session, and as we at LeadAmerica reflect
on a truly AMAZING summer, we turn our
eyes toward the year ahead. Isn’t
it that way for all of us? Life hands us
some remarkable experiences – opportunities
full of promise, hidden challenges and
possible outcomes determined by the choices
we make. Time doesn’t stand still
for any of us and if we don’t take
full advantage of those moments and make
the best possible choices, the opportunities
will pass. Many of you made a decision
to attend one or more LeadAmerica conferences
this past season and found that every moment
provided life-defining insight, challenges
and choices, and opportunities. 
Joshua Sauer is currently a senior at
the Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex
and Union County, staying active at school
through baseball, serving as a member in
the student-run television station Schechter
Vision, and participating in school plays
for the past two years. 
