With all the changes happening in our world, we need strong leaders now more than ever. Strong leaders, however, are not born overnight. They are trained and shaped, molded into the path pavers of tomorrow. Thankfully, we’re in good hands here in Hawai‘i.

The Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders’ mission is to engage, equip, and empower young leaders for Hawai‘i, offering mentorship programs and character-building partnerships to shape the next generation of powerful, confident leaders among our Islands’ youth.

The Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders (CTL) also puts leadership into action via school and community projects throughout all the Islands. A partner agency of Aloha United Way, a workplace giving campaign that’s been serving Hawai‘i since 1919, CTL works every day in classrooms across the state to shape leaders from Hawai‘i, for Hawai‘i and in Hawai‘i. In other words, they’re growing and keeping the talent local.

“CTL is developing a pipeline of young leaders for Hawai‘i, who will lead with character, competence, critical-thinking, courage and community. I’m inspired every day to see our young people take ownership for our state’s future. The best is truly yet to come!” shares Katie Chang, Executive Director of CTL.

After Chang joined CTL in 2010, the organization’s work started to expand, including the development of its Ambassadors Program, which offers weekly development courses to non-traditional leaders with potential. CTL officially earned non-profit status in 2013 and has been helping the nex state. Project-based learning programs provide youth from all demographic backgrounds with concrete scenarios that spark their wheels to start churning to solve problems and make educated decisions.

One of CTL’s biggest programs is its Fellows Program. This year-long advanced leadership program empowers future state-level leaders for Hawai‘i. Twenty high school juniors and seniors are selected from private and public schools for the program, providing a diverse snapshot of our local communities.

This rigorous curriculum grants them access to hands-on community projects that address Hawai‘i’s most profound issues. Based on the Leadership Challenge, this program grants access to Hawai‘i’s top corporate, community and civic leaders.

Future plans include more high school leadership development programs to ensure higher education success, and then success in the workforce beyond the classroom. Whatever the future has in store, we can assure that CTL is training the next generation of committed, resilient youth to create a brighter, guided future for our community.

To learn more about CTL, visit ctlhawaii.org.