The Obama Foundation Announces Summit and Fellowship

Today, former President Barack Obama announced in a video and email the first set of Obama Foundation initiatives aimed to inspire and empower young people to change their world and equip civic innovators and young people with the skills and tools needed to change their communities. Most notable, on October 31st and November 1st, the Obama Foundation will welcome civic leaders from around Chicago, the U.S., and the world to join President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for an inaugural summit. During this two-day event in Chicago, hundreds of young leaders will come together to exchange ideas, explore creative solutions to common problems, and experience civic art, technology, and music from around the world. The foundation also announced a two-year, non-residential Fellowship which will offer hands-on training, resources, and leadership development. Fellows will be a diverse set of twenty community-minded rising stars -- organizers, inventors, artists, entrepreneurs, journalists, and more -- who are radically altering the civic engagement landscape. Starting in Chicago next month, the Obama Foundation will host three pilot Training Days -- one-day experiences in locations around the country -- to teach young people how to put “civics” into action, use their own story as a powerful tool for change, and become more active in shaping their communities. Each Training Day will include 150 young participants, ages 18 to 24. See the video here.