The program of the initiative youth leadership will accept applicants for its first cohort through April 14, and those accepted as members will have access to training opportunities, mentors, and leadership development training

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Edited by| Tony Wild
World section CJ journalist
28 Feb.2023 - Washington

 

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  US former president Barak Obama declared in a video that he launches a leadership initiative for youth across the states ...the program of the initiative is for training the youth on leadership and being qualified for official responsibilities in near future.

It’s a way to bring emerging leaders from different identities and backgrounds together, and help them build relationships and solve problems in their communities,” Obama said in the video.

“Because real change happens one person, one community, one connection at a time. And we all need to learn how to better work with folks who have different backgrounds and beliefs.”

The pilot program will first focus on solving issues in Chicago, Detroit, and Jackson, Mississippi. Each city will accept 25 members to the program, which will be based out of Civic Nation, a nonprofit organization that builds national organizations and educational movements.

The program will accept applicants for its first cohort through April 14, and those accepted as members will have access to training opportunities, mentors, and leadership development training

The vision of the program is to help communities become more civically engaged “to build a more equitable, welcoming and inclusive democracy,” according to a press release. It also notes that only half of U.S. adults consider themselves politically engaged, a reality the program seeks to combat.

“We do not have to accept political polarization and disconnection as the norm,” Kalisha Dessources Figures, a senior fellow at Civic Nation, said in a statement. “By focusing on building bridges and embracing difference as a source of strength, the Change Collective will build a bench of local leaders working to make our communities more durable and better connected.”

The first session of the program will start from June 2023 to January 2024, according to the website.