In addition to serving as one of Young People For's Leadership Academy Fellow, I am currently applying to medical school. Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a pre-medical conference with other members of the UC Berkeley Biology Scholars Program, a pipeline program that provides academic and social support for underrepresented students in the math and sciences.

Crossposted at Future Majority (www.futuremajority.com)

July 22 and my blueprint has been approved! What a great feeling... after 6 months of thinking, planning, evaluating...and starting all over again; the relief of finally having a grasp on how I am going to make a difference in my academic community is inexplicable.

One aspect of my blueprint for social justice that was different than other blueprints I've read was my goal for leadership development. This was a goal that was suggested by Zach Dryden and Rachel Burrows. Since I have planned to run my blueprint on a smaller scale (aka, no funding necessary) Yp4 offered me the opportunity to attend Camp Wellstone's citizen action training in my home town of Philadelphia.

I was at the gym earlier this afternoon, working out beside a gentleman twice the size. Though superficially it may have seemed we had nothing in common other than our shared commitment to physical fitness, the most amazing thing happened between sets: we rested. For those of you who regularly go to the gym, this might already be common sense. Even one of my closest friends who earned the title Mr. Junior World Bronze (fyi: Arnold Schwarzenegger is Mr. World) takes time to rest in between sets. Likewise, in my yoga class, there is great emphasis on pranayama, the art of breathing, as well as taking the child's pose, which you are recommended to take anytime during class to recenter yourself. Now what does all this talk about exercise, bodybuilding, even yoga, have to do with leadership?

When Love Anani graduated from Carleton College this year, he wanted to ensure that other student leaders of color would have the skills, resources, and tools available to continue effecting positive social change on the campus.

More importantly, he wanted to address what he identified as the Martin Luther King complex: "the tendency of young students of color looking for a leader when we are the ones we have been waiting for."

Day 2, Leadership Academy Retreat Journal

Monday, August 6, 2007: On Sunday, all sixteen Fellows, Robert Mayer, Jason Cooper and I met for the first time at Grand Central Station, headed to the Trinity Retreat Center in Cornwall, Connecticut to meet our trainer, Ng'ethe Maina of the Social Justice Leadership Institute, and begin our first, four-day, leadership development retreat.

In the first few moments I could tell that as a group there was an unusually high level of social justice and political consciousness. They see their diversity — race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation — as key strengths and sources of power in their position as leaders in their community.

For nearly 30 years, ultraconservatives have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in young people and built an infrastructure that initiates young people into the radical right movement through campus activism, leadership training and career development. Their investments have paid off. The radical right wing now controls the executive and legislative branches of government, and it's only one seat away from complete dominance of the Supreme Court.

How is this investment affecting young people? Check out the student rally, "Catch an illegal immigrant day" hosted by Young Americans for Freedom and The Leadership Institute's course about Progressives' "sorid history" and The Intercollegiate Studies Institute's Lecture Series.  Read more about the ultraconservative battle for young people's hearts and minds and How progressives can win in the long run. Tell us your perspective.

Tonight 15 local activists got together in the Andrew Heiskell Center for Democracy (NYC) to watch the second National Network Training along with hundreds of other activists across the country to learn the fundamentals of grassroots mobilization, including volunteer recruitment, direct voter outreach and integrating leadership development into every effort. We gathered at the Andrew Heiskell Center at People For the American Way.

Using a combination of a training video, live conference call with a national expert, and small group interactives, we learned about tools needed to make a difference in our communities. Specifically, we learned to develop a solid grounding in some of the skills necessary to engage in effective volunteer recruitment and voter outreach, as well as to gain a deeper understanding of grassroots organizing and how we can use it to strengthen the progressive movement. Center for Progressive Leadership Action Network hosted the trainings. Get connected to other activists in your community and get involved in the next network training!