Occupational therapy leaders ensure continued growth within the occupational therapy profession by way of presence in public policy and engagement in emerging areas of practice. A service-learning course for occupational therapy students (OTSs) to mentor at-risk youth within the community engages students in the early development of leadership skills by increasing relationship skills for a transformational leadership style and addresses the development of an awareness of community needs for a future vision of potential leadership within a community-based practice. Best available evidence supports a service-learning pedagogy for the creation of leadership skills, civic-mindedness, and for OTSs to envision themselves as prospective leaders within the occupational therapy profession. Evidence on youth mentoring yields a framework for positive outcomes for at-risk youth ad OTSs. The tenets of occupational therapy, through a shared vision and framework, create a solid base for the coursework. Combined with an occupation-based model and frame of reference they contribute to OTSs application theory to practice through experiential learning. This capstone project culminated in a service-learning course proposal to an entry-level occupational therapy doctoral program, providing a rationale, evidence, and coursework to support OTSs development of leadership skills and participation in community-based practice by engagement in a preventative, mentoring intervention for at-risk youth.
