| This research investigated whether Youth Citizen Seminar (YCS), a youth service organization, utilizes transformational leadership and learning. Additionally, participation in YCS was studied to understand how adolescents are influenced to become active in leadership, public service/volunteering, and citizenship activities. The researcher compared YCS, a 5-day youth service program, to a longer-term youth service program with respect to leadership, public service/volunteering, and citizenship activities, as well as determined whether YCS is equally effective with respect to race/ethnicity and gender.;The research used a mixed-method research design, utilizing a questionnaire, consisting of scaled and open-ended questions, to examine the prevalence of various beliefs and behaviors of former participants in YCS. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to tabulate and summarize results from the questionnaire. The findings indicated that YCS utilizes transformational leadership characteristics and learning to build upon the existing leadership abilities of YCS participants. This suggests that YCS participation positively influences involvement in leadership and citizenship activities, especially during the participants' senior year of high school, and that the impact of the YCS program on participants lasts into adulthood. The findings also indicated that YCS is as effective as and possibly better than a longer-term youth-serving organization with respect to inspiring involvement in leadership, public service/volunteering, and citizenship activities as adults. Further, YCS appears to have the same impact on participants, regardless of race/ethnicity or gender.;Based on the results, the researcher concluded that a focused, 5-day transformational youth program such as YCS has the ability to inspire adolescents, including those from socio-economically disadvantaged areas, and to engage adolescents in civic socialization. Additionally, a focused transformational leadership and learning youth development program has lasting effects with respect to inspiring adolescents to become involved in leadership, public service/volunteering, and citizenship activities. Finally, a transformational youth program that selects adolescents who have just completed the 11 th grade can provide a link back to high schools. |
