LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics) is a national organization founded in 1982 with a mission to achieve full participation and equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders (API) through leadership, empowerment and policy. (LEAP) has been intent on "growing leaders" within Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities across the world. When LEAP opened its doors 34 years ago, it had a simple yet powerful idea: that in order for Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities to realize their full potential and to foster robust participation in this increasingly globalized world, these communities would have to begin producing leaders who could advocate and speak on their behalf. With original programs in leadership training, public policy research and community education, LEAP raises the impact and visibility of APIs in all sectors. A national, nonprofit organization, LEAP works to meet its mission of achieving full participation and equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) through leadership, empowerment, and policy by: Developing people, because leaders are made, not born; Empowering communities, because leaders are grounded in strong, vibrant communities; and Informing society, because leaders know the issues. Guided by its leadership development philosophy that Asian and Pacific Islanders can retain their unique cultures, identities and values while developing new and vital skills that will make them effective leaders within their own organizations, their communities and the broader society, LEAP recognizes that the need for API leadership has two separate but inextricably linked components: quantity and quality. Not only is there a need for greater numbers of API leaders, but these leaders also must be more effective if API communities are to thrive and become full participating members of our global society. Through the creation of culturally relevant workshops and programs, more than 125,000 people from colleges and universities, community and student organizations, government agencies and Fortune 1000 companies across North America and Asia have participated in over 2,500 LEAP leadership development programs, organizational development workshops, skills building and diversity trainings.
