What is Missouri Leadership Seminar?

MLS is a one-of-a-kind weekend of team-building, self-discovery, interactive activities, hand-selected speakers, & volunteering for rising high-school juniors all over the state of Missouri. Held free-of-charge to all students & schools involved, MLS values equity and aims to create waves that reach the hometowns of all ambassadors who become alumni and beyond.

Crowded conference room with people in colorful event T-shirts standing, dancing, and socializing around tables.

Our Core Values

  • Smiling woman in a Girl Scouts T-shirt crafts colorful friendship bracelets with another person.

    Fully Known, Fully Loved

  • Group of young people wearing matching white shirts, colorful leis, and a crown at an indoor event

    Radical Inclusivity

  • Smiling event participants hug in a crowded conference room as one person wears a shiny gold crown.

    Unequivocal Belonging & Individuality

  • Smiling young woman wearing a pink shirt and event lanyard at a crowded indoor gathering, with attendees and a stage in the background.

    Persistent Positivity

  • Audience watches four presenters onstage in front of a projection screen at an event, with several people wearing red ribbons.

    Limitless Growth

  • Woman speaking into a microphone beside another woman on a theater stage with an American flag and presentation screen.

    Equitable Empowerment

  • Woman drawing a large heart and lettering on poster board with colorful markers.

    Energetic, Emphatic Wavemaking

What happens at MLS?

What happens at MLS?

Personal & Community-Based Panels

Speakers and activities throughout the weekend will guide student ambassadors through the deepening of their understanding of their own leadership styles and how to work well with others. These sessions are carefully crafted to inspire ambassadors to use the skills they learn and develop once they return to their home communities. Change begins with one action from one person, so the impact of a large MLS weekend is immeasurable.

Small & Large Groups

We connect students from different areas and types of communities within small groups that will act as a home base throughout the weekend. These small groups are where ambassadors get to first share their self-discoveries made and ambitions to take back home. The large group of nearly 150 ambassadors from all over the state come together to experience the panel activities, education, meals, skits, and games. MLS embraces the opportunity to make strangers into chosen family.

Networking Connections

Our ambassadors inevitably face hardship, adversity, and uncertainty. We seek to make ambassadors’ transitions into higher education, the workforce, and their adult lives as leaders less intimidating. Spending a (free) weekend at seminar means hundreds of opportunities to connect, but it also means building confidence in talking with people all of which come from different backgrounds and demographics. Walking away from Seminar, ambassadors will have gotten to know their older staff well, and been able to chat and begin connections with BOD (our Board of Directors), MLS alumni, and particularly our Dinner with a Pro (DWAP) volunteers. Future volunteer and job opportunities, career advice, and new role models/mentors are some of the potential benefits of our ambassadors’ immersion into the MLS atmosphere. Many of our ambassadors come from small rural schools, making our experience more rare.

Volunteerism

MLS is a non-profit organization focused on giving back to the communities that built it and more. A charity event is always part of MLS. Ambassadors have worked in groups to make and donate blankets to shelters for the unhoused, decorate lanterns for a veterans’ event, gather donations for those in need, and fulfill other projects for different demographics. Every junior staff member who returns to MLS has completed 25 hours of community service. MLS continues to encourage ambassadors and alumni to volunteer throughout the year. Besides requiring hours of community service, we also set up year-long volunteering activities with various organizations/charities including Optimist Clubs throughout Missouri.

Staff Mentorship

Volunteer staff members, mostly alumni of MLS, return to plan and host Seminar because of the bonds created. Each small group is led by one Junior and one Senior Facilitator, allowing ambassadors to have go-to people all weekend for help resolving logistics issues, emotional support, and facilitation of conversation. Every year, we are thanked for bringing tissues and for bringing our shared struggles to light in a safe space. In a society that constantly preaches fear and thrives on personal insecurity, we proudly do the opposite. Even so, all of the growth is truly due to the ambassadors’ integrity and vulnerability. We hold the belief that “you get out of Seminar what you put into Seminar,” and as staff, we are never disappointed by the outcomes.

Affiliated Organizations & Charities

Are you researching the impacts of MLS? Looking for great organizations to get involved in? Or good places to give back? Please email info@moleadership.com with specific questions or concerns about the organizations/charities listed below. Warm volunteering fuzzies!

Civic Organizations That Have Supported MLS:

  • Optimist International – The “Friends of Youth” are by far our biggest support, and can be found in many towns across Missouri and the United States. Optimist Clubs do fundraisers throughout the year and then give the money to local youth organizations, sports or events like MLS. They are always looking for help with events or new members (it’s very easy to join). In some cases there are even youth branches of the Optimists that you can get involved in. Numerous clubs throughout the state have been heavily involved in fundraising activities with MLS staff.

  • GFWC: General Federated Women’s Clubs – We have enjoyed special support from the GFWC of Missouri throughout our existence. Beyond simply funding student attendees, in the past, they have also provided cookies and snacks during the seminar. Similar to Optimists, GFWC clubs hold fundraisers and support various causes, many involving youth.

    • GFWC of Missouri

  • Kiwanis International – We have several Kiwanis clubs that support students attending seminar. Learn more about Kiwanis at their website.

  • American Legions – We have several American Legions that also support students. Posts can be found throughout the US. Learn more at the American Legion website.

 

Charities That Have Been Supported by MLS:

  • Missouri Girls Town – Missouri Girls Town provides a loving, family atmosphere for all the girls that live there– something many of their clients never experience before coming to Missouri Girls Town. It was started and is maintained by the GFWC of Missouri. In the past, they have also engaged with the community by coordinating support to fulfill the girls’ holiday wish lists via Amazon wish list.

  • Missouri Veterans Home – MLS does several service projects during the seminar for the Missouri Veterans Home in Warrensburg, MO. There are veterans homes located throughout the state, and you can find the nearest one here. The location is Warrensburg is always in need of items for their residents; you can call your nearest one for details, or apply to volunteer in the homes.

  • The i-Rok Foundation – The i-Rok foundation was started in memory of M.L.S. alumnae Kori Quinn. Kori was an inspiring young woman and a cherished member of the M.L.S. staff. Donations to help children with cancer through i-Rok can be made here.

  • Cardz for Kidz – Staff and MLS ambassadors have made cards for children in the hospital during our on-site service projects. You too can make cards, instructions for doing so are found here.

  • Operation Gratitude – Operation Gratitude sends care packages to U.S. troops serving overseas. Seminar has written letters and made paracord bracelets before, but you can find a variety of activities you can contribute to on the “Ways to Give” page or the “Get Involved” page.

Sponsors of MLS 2026

Collage of food and labor organization logos, including GBA, Chicken Salad Chick, GFWC, and EarthShare alongside two vintage union emblems.