University of Calgary Centre

Werklund Foundation provides empowering opportunities for youth in our community and across the world. To accomplish this, we partner with other like-minded institutions that share our vision of excellence in leadership education.

Launched in May of 2010, the Werklund Foundation Centre for Youth Leadership Education is committed to developing research, teaching, and service in the area of youth leadership education. Furthermore, the centre will support and enhance the Werklund Foundation's Empowering Minds programs by conducting ongoing research of those programs. The Centre will conduct educational research related to youth leadership with the purpose of ongoing program improvement and development.

The physical presence of the Werklund Foundation Centre for Youth Leadership Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary will result in strong local awareness of both the Werklund Foundation and of the specific research and curriculum being developed by the Director, research staff, and graduate assistants associated with the centre.

The mission of the Werklund Foundation Centre for Youth Leadership Education is to develop and support research, teaching and community service activities that enhance opportunities for youth to develop leadership aptitudes and abilities in their home, school and community settings.

Vision

As the first research centre of its kind in the world, the Werklund Foundation Centre for Youth Leadership Education will become the primary hub in an international network of researchers and educators interested in youth leadership education.

Although there is considerable research in the area of youth studies, scant work is being done on youth leadership, and even less on educational programs for the development of youth leadership. The Werklund Foundation Centre for Youth Leadership Education will propose, develop and publish research focused on youth leadership education, and will also host academic meetings, symposiums, and workshops for scholars, teachers and community members.

Leadership

The Werklund Foundation Centre for Youth Leadership Education is located within the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary under the directorship of Shirley Steinberg, Werklund Foundation Chair in Youth Leadership Education. The director of the Centre proposes and develops original research in youth and leadership studies and creates opportunities for educators, leaders, parents/caregivers and youth to develop a deeper awareness of the importance of building the leadership capacity of children and youth.