Despite the increasing scholarly interest and the growing number of youth leadership programmes, there is still little theoretical knowledge on how young people develop as leaders: this is knowledge that is necessary for improving and developing effective leadership education for young people. In order to move towards a better understanding, this exploratory case study explores how young people perceive leadership and their own leadership development. Furthermore, it explores how the educators who train and teach leadership to young people perceive leadership and their own leadership development, including how they design and implement their activities. Empirical data was collected through observations and interviews from two leadership programmes: one in a sport context and the other in higher education. Key insights include the importance of holistically studying young people’s perceptions of leadership by integrating different theories that can provide better and more nuanced understanding of their views. Furthermore, even when leadership activities and programmes are well planned and implemented, leadership programmes tend to be fragmented and isolated from the real-life situations of young participants. It is fundamental that young people are offered space for dialogue and time to develop their ability to think reflectively and to train their minds towards deeper understanding of concepts, situations and insightful choices. This study emphasizes that it is not enough for young people to engage in leadersh ip activities or have significant experience of formal leadership programmes, they also need to develop leader identity. This is a growth process that requires support and guidance from their social environment, such as educators, coaches and other adults engaged in young people’s development who can acknowledge their efforts and leadership capabilities.