The article reveals the topical problem of shaping the leadership qualities in student youth, educating potential leaders who can quickly and purposefully integrate into society, solve social and industrial issues and manage groups and innovative projects. It has emphasised the relevance of the problem of modelling the development of youth leadership and the study and adaptation of domestic and international experience in this area. It has been defined that the vast majority of existing conceptual approaches concern the leadership of adults, skilled professionals, and the business sphere. The purpose of the article is to review the conceptual ideas and theories that form the basis of models for the formation of leadership qualities in student youth, as well as identification of the work system for training leaders in educational institutions of various levels. The study uses the methods of substantive, retrospective, comparative and definitional analysis, synthesis of principal ideas regarding youth leadership development, as well as generalization and specification of the best experience of modelling the formation of leadership qualities in student youth. Current theories underlying the investigation of the youth leadership phenomenon have been considered, among which are the Trait Theory and the Great Person Theory, Theories of resonant, proactive, emotional, charismatic, democratic, transformational, situational, participative, servant leadership, and whatever. It has been found out that all existing programs for effective leader development are based on a single humanistic concept that a leader is, first of all, an individual who, guided primarily by higher spiritual needs, strives for self-realization. It has been claimed that leadership qualities include both individual and psychological personality traits, as well as those which determine productive relationships arising in the group interaction process. Several psychological, pedagogical and complex models for the formation of leadership qualities in student youth, developed in Ukraine and abroad, have been revealed. The models presented in the article are based on the author’s concepts, which, at the same time, have common features in the organization of purposeful training and self-study of pupils / students to develop so-called soft skills in them, the formation of leader attitude, leader competency, leader behaviour and teamwork experience. The peculiarities of educational disciplines, classroom and extracurricular work, student self-government and socially and energetic civil activities during the formation of leadership qualities in student youth at the level of an educational institution have been characterized. Examples of the development of youth leadership by organizations at the regional, all-Ukrainian, and international levels have been given. It has been pointed out that most models of leadership development have several common features, namely: a) emphasis on both academic knowledge and personal development of leadership qualities of pupils / students; b) ensuring a high level of interaction in the “teacher-student” and “student-student” systems; c) experiential learning; d) reflective learning; e) collaborative learning; e) creation of a comfortable and emotionally rich educational environment; f) activation of study and cognitive activities of pupils/students via project activities and networking; g) operating the mutual evaluation and feedback. It has been concluded that each of the analysed models of leadership formation provides students with valuable opportunities to shape leadership skills and apply them in the real world, increasing their personal and professional development.
