Go to ILEAD Youth Summit 2025 event information and online registration link.

Held annually in the capital city, ILEAD is a  1-day high school leadership summit connecting teens, inspiring change, and eating donuts.

In its 15th year, ILEAD is managed by the Community Services Department as a Safe Community Program -Substance Use Prevention. The summit is coordinated in partnership with both a stakeholder Planning Committee including Marion County Health and Human Services, and a Youth Committee.

This free event brings together over 100 teens to develop as positive and healthy community members and leaders through workshops and pro-social activities.

Workshops and Activities

No matter the summit theme, workshop topics focus every year on:

• Leadership Development
• Personal Growth
• Health and Well-Being, including Prevention/Awareness; and,
• Life Readiness (college & career, workforce readiness, and adulting) 

Summit Goals

Held in early Spring, the ILEAD Summit strives for teens to:

• be exposed to different techniques and practices to further develop and identify leadership styles
• gain an increased passion for educational success and civil responsibility
• build upon their personal protective factors (i.e. skills, strengths, resources, supports, and coping strategies) to increase resiliency and reduce the likelihood of risky behavior
• leave empowered & equipped to become school/community leaders, positive influencers and possibly increase attachment to school

ILEAD Impact Awards

Open to: Marion, Polk, and Linn Counties Only

The ILead Impact Awards celebrate the inspiring work being done in our community around…

• youth leadership & civic engagement through volunteerism
• investing in the next generation of leaders
• peer to peer advocacy of issues that matter to youth
• and, teen-relevant health promotion and prevention efforts.

Individuals receive recognition within the following three categories:

1. Youth Impact,
2. Youth Leadership Program Impact, and
3. Adult Impact Award

(2024 awardees pictured below.)

To Nominate:

The nomination online form provides more award category details, selection and announcement process information, and submission deadlines.