Leadership has many forms.

It can be quiet: think Mahatma Ghandi.

It can be thunderously loud: think Bill Cowher.

It can be methodical and slow: think President Abraham Lincoln.

It can be spontaneous and unpredictable: think President Donald Trump.

It can be old — think Pope Francis — and it can be young as well, just like the teenage participants of the Butler County Youth Leadership Program, who will be honored next week at Butler County Community College

In addition to promoting county schools through partnerships with Butler County Community College and other institutions, the program also encourages students to grow, learn — and then bring their skills and leadership back to Butler County once they graduate and begin searching for jobs and careers.

It’s that last part — the return — that captures our attention and imagination.

Imagine what Pennsylvania could become if communities across the state found a way to keep their young people here rather than losing them to other parts of the nation.

That’s not an imagined problem — it’s a reality that’s backed up by numbers.

In 2017, according to the state independent Fiscal Office, 36 college graduates per day left the state for jobs elsewhere.

In 2016 the Commonwealth Foundation reported that 45,000 residents left Pennsylvania for other states — the 10th highest migration rate in the nation.

As of this year, Pennsylvania’s population of senior citizens was growing 20 times faster than its overall population. By 2025 more than 1-in-5 of the state’s 12.83 million residents will be age 65 or older, according to projections by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pennsylvania State Data Center.

This migration of young people to other parts of the nation has serious consequences. Most often, mentioning “brain drain,” as it is known, kicks off debates and recriminations over tax rates, job opportunities, and economics in general.

Mentioned much less often is something else the exodus leaves Pennsylvania wanting: fresh ideas, rigorous work ethics and young leaders itching to make their mark on the world.

Pennsylvania politicos — the average age of whom was 54 in 2016, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts — have debated soda taxes, corporate tax rates and municipal levies for years. Nothing changes, however, so we can only assume they simply like to hear themselves speak.

Young people aren’t listening. They don’t complain — they simply leave for places where their values and priorities are understood, valued and addressed.

That’s why youth leadership — and by extension the county’s new program — is important in a way that’s often underappreciated. It doesn’t take a special person to be a leader, but it does require someone who is engaged and invested in their organization or community.

The young people who will be recognized next week at SRU aren’t ready to solve all the problems facing Butler County and Pennsylvania. But they do seem to be interested in what’s going on and willing to put in the time and effort to figure out who they are and what they can do to help.

If communities across Pennsylvania can foster that kind of youth development, we’ll be much better off in 2025 than the projections suggest.

Young people are our future. Ignore their development at your own peril.