OBAMA FOUNDATION WELCOMES 130 YOUNG CHICAGOANS TO SIX-MONTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Obama Foundation Welcomes 130 Young Chicagoans To Six-Month Leadership Program
BY KATHERINE NEWMAN
The Obama Foundation recently hosted a two-day kick-off event for it’s newest Community Leadership Corps cohort in Chicago.
The 130 Chicagoans, aged 18 to 25, who were selected to participate in the six-month Community Leadership Corps program were chosen based on their proven commitment to making a difference in their community.
One participant from South Shore, Shemiah Curry, went to school for early childhood education and saw the Community Leadership Corps as a way to actualize some of her other interests and honor her passion for helping her community.
“I got a degree in elementary education and that’s kind of where my career path has taken me thus far but I’ve realized that I don’t like it as much as I thought I would. I think the Community Leadership program will be a great opportunity to figure out what my other interests are. I’ve always had involvement with my community because of my parents and so I just thought this would be a great opportunity to start getting my own work done,” said Curry.
The Community Leadership Corps program is taking place in both Chicago and Hartford, CT. Both programs were created for young people who are invested in their communities to get the skills they need to grow as leaders and create positive changes.
Some participants came to the program with a solid idea of what their goals were as community advocates while others, like Curry, were interested in the program for it’s promise of helping participants find their footing as leaders.
“My cohort and I are kind of laying the groundwork for our project and we all have different interests. We have shared interests in women’s rights and financial literacy so we have that in common but right now we’re trying to figure out what we’re going to produce,” said Curry.
Over the course of sixth months, the participants will be broken down into teams and asked to design and implement community projects. They will have three in-person training events and access to immense onlinecoaching, project funding.
“Going into the community and designing a project for the community from the first step all the way to the last step is something that I really look forward to. I’ve never developed something with that mindset or with that strategy, but I’m really looking forward to it,” said Curry.
Additionally, all of the 130 participants will have access to the Obama Foundation’s network of resources, partners, and learning tools.
“We have people who are a part of our cohort and learning from them about their different disciplines and what they can bring to the table is really cool,” said Curry. “I would like to develop new skills that will make me feel like I’m equipped to really change my community.”
To learn more about the Obama Foundation’s Community Leadership Corps visit www.obama.org/community-leadership.
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