Leading the Change 2010:

Celebrating Students, Celebrating Service

 This year over 1,000 New York City students are taking change into their own hands! Students in grades K-12 are creating and implementing innovative city‑wide service projects. The inspirational youth and their projects will be showcased at a fun, interactive culminating event on the 22nd of May 2010. The day; spearheaded by The Leadership Program, a community-based organization that works with over 250 public schools, 25,000 students and 1,500 teachers per year in all five boroughs of New York City, will be filled with music, art, games and prizes for all ages.  

 The Leadership Program is inviting students, families, schools, NYC DOE and various community based organizations to participate with us in Leading the Change.  The student-generated service projects will range from the local, such as “Go Green School” campaigns, inter-generational talent shows at senior centers, parental voter registration drives to international initiatives like walk-a-thons for Haiti, video exchange with Bavubuka House in Uganda and raising money through soccer tournaments in to fund a science lab in Kenya. 

“This idea is our response to President Obama’s call to action,” says Leadership Program Chief Operating Officer, Christine Courtney. “As a leadership program we work with a huge number of passionate, caring, innovative New Yorkers who want to come together to make their individual communities better and impact the greater New York City community. One of our core values is that everyone has a voice.  We are giving New York City students an opportunity to voice what change means to them and to make that change happen.”

 The participation of students and their families throughout the city in this service initiative demonstrates the far-reaching effects of funding for student programs in schools, and how this investment works its way back into the community.

 For more information about this event, how you can be involved or about The Leadership Program, please call Blonka Winkfield at 212-625-8001 or become a fan of The Leadership Program on Facebook. For instant updates on the events, follow “Leading the Change” at www.twitter.com/leadthechange.