Young Leaders Access Program, 21-30 July, 2020, USA

MCW Global’s year-long flagship program is for participants between the ages of 18 to 26, who are prepared to become leaders of positive change in their communities by obtaining tools and skills needed to transform passion into action. The program is based on 3 phases:

The program begins with an intensive, 10-day summer program that facilitates leadership development, self-awareness, a deep  understanding of global citizenship, and how to implement a project from beginning to end. The program is held in late July in New York City, New York and Burlington, Vermont. In addition to working alongside MCW Global team members, alumni mentors, and volunteers, participants will also hear from a range of experts from academia, civil society, development, and the public and private sectors about their own community-action projects.

Participants come to the Program with an idea of a community issue they want to address through the process of vision planning, which aims to transform passion into a tangible plan for change. During this process, participants will be able to put their local issues into a larger global context while exploring why they are in a unique position to make change happen. Participants will also determine which tools they need to apply to the plan, in order to make it actionable. After the program, Young Leaders are expected to further develop and/or implement their plan in collaboration with their alumni mentors.

To further develop and implement their vision plans, Young Leaders are paired with alumni mentors, who guide them at the summer program toward creating an actionable plan. During the year, alumni mentors support participants by facilitating quarterly “hangouts” and ongoing remote communication. Alumni mentors undergo customized training prior to the start of the program in order to support team building and cultural competency.