Young Leaders Access Program 2021 is a year-long program that prepares young people, 18 to 26, to become leaders of change in their communities through leadership development, global citizenship, self-awareness, and vision planning.

The YLP team, mentors, and mentees all work together to impact communities through innovative ideas and concrete projects, hence truly accomplishing the purpose of Local Change Through Global Exchange®.

Given the situation with the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, the YLP team is implementing the program to fully virtual through e-modules, Zoom discussions, and virtual one-on-one learning between mentors and mentees.

Young Leaders Access Program 2021 begins with the Community Needs Assessment, a 2-month community needs a mapping project that prepares young people to better understand their own local community. After the community needs assessment, Young Leaders participate in a 3-month intensive Virtual Program that helps them become leaders of positive change in their communities. After Virtual Learning, participants spend 7 months developing their action plans with support from alumni mentors.

Community Needs Assessment

The Young Leaders Access Program begins with an intensive community mapping project and community needs assessment, where Young Leaders will be provided with the tools and knowledge to assess their own community.

This phase is implemented prior to starting the Virtual Learning portion, as it will provide the young leaders with a better understanding of the needs of their community.

(2 months)

Project Development Through Virtual Learning

Participants come to the Young Leaders Access Program with an idea of a community issue they want to address. Vision planning is the process of transforming passion into a concrete, tangible plan for change.

Through online sessions with speakers, discussions, e-modules, and assignments, participants will be able to put their local issues into a larger global context while understanding why they are in a unique position to make a change in their community. Participants will also determine which tools and skills can be applied to an actionable plan.

(3 months)

Alumni Mentorship & Ongoing Support

To further develop and execute their actionable plans, Young Leaders are paired with alumni mentors, who will guide them during the Virtual 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 among the diverse group of Young Leaders.

(7 months)

Location:

Online

Young Leaders Access Program Benefits

Please read carefully the following logistics information:

In an effort to make the program accessible to all participants, the Young Leaders Access Program is free of charge.
MCW Global will also cover the costs of program tools, e-modules, speakers, and additional program expenses during the community needs assessment period, virtual learning, and the remaining part of the program.

Given the current circumstances and safety measures for international travel and public gatherings, the Young Leaders Access Program 2021 will be fully implemented virtually. We hope to organize an in-person meeting in early 2022 if circumstances allow.

Young Leaders Access Program Eligibilities

Demonstrate commitment to their community;
Identify an issue in their community to address;
Be between the ages of 18-26 at the start of the program (July 1, 2021);
Be fluent in written and spoken English;
Complete the Community Needs Assessment over the summer, attending the 3-months Virtual Learning program, and spending the following year aiming to execute their community project;
Have access to email and internet to allow for consistent communication with the MCW Global Team and Young Leaders Program alumni-mentor for the duration of the year-long program;
Adhere to Young Leaders Access Program graduation guidelines (to be provided upon acceptance to the program);
Submit a completed application on or before March 1, 2021 end of the day (NYC EST time).

Eligible Regions: Open For All