I wanted to just say congrats to all of the new leaders selected in the Leadership Academy. I know a lot of you peeps. I wish you much continued success! Keep on moving and never look back... you are on your way to becoming the next ______ ...U Fill in the Blank!

 Amor,

kYm

Sr.Fellow

Class of 2007 

Right-wingers say the darndest things.

The folks over at Love Global Warming — no joke, that's the name of the blog — are bent on revealing the truth about Young People For and other "so-called environmentalist organizations that prey on young people all over the free world."

Apparently YP4 is a "communist front [organization] whose only reason for existence is to trick the youth of America into throwing out our way of life and adopting communist ideologies."

I had the privilege of attending the Bill Moyers (and Phil Donahue) talk at the 92nd Street Y last Tuesday. A wonderful supporter of our work handed me a copy of Moyers on Democracy. It wasn't until I got back to the office that I noticed (with some prompting from Aliza) that it was signed.

I wanted to share Bill Moyers’ kind words with everyone:

For my friends at YPF–

It’s your fight now, and it’s in good hands. Thank you for rekindling my faith in your generation.

Bill Moyers

We're genuinely touched. (And lining up to read the book.)

I sat down with fellows Matt Popek and Trey Thomas to talk about their organization Penn State Represent, the sexiness of non-partisan voter registration and the ways football and politics don't mix. At certain points chaos ensues, and we learn the power of positive thinking. Check it out!

As I mentioned in parts one and two of this series, there’s power in funding your own movement and in having a broad base of support. When we support our own projects, we get to decide what we work on and our continued existence becomes less dependent on any single source.

As part of walking the walk here, we’re now accepting blogads in the sidebar of the YP4 Blog. We’re screening them for congruence with our values. Nonprofits, progressive blogs and socially responsible businesses? Absolutely. Soulless corporations? Not so much.

We intend blog advertising to become another intentional way to build our network and strengthen our partnerships.

Wow! Summer! You've studied hard and worked hard, now it's time to lay back in the sun.

...

...

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Or not. Instead of letting your brains rot away under some umbrella while you sip a drink that also has an umbrella, you should take the time to brush up on your activist strategies. Lucky as you are, you don't even have to look because YP4 has tons of resources available so you can learn something as your skin silently screams for relief from the sun.

Strategy Papers

Little Black Books

Progressive Academy Online

Dear friends,

Nearly five years ago, I came to People For the American Way Foundation with the goal of building a nationwide program to support young progressive leaders — to identify and prepare them for lifetimes of leadership in the movement — as campus activists, community organizers, business leaders, philanthropists, nonprofit directors, campaign directors and elected officials.

Hey you!

Yeah, you!

Ever wanted to work in the progressive movement?

Do you like meeting important people, making a difference or changing the future?

Does New York City seem like a good place to live?

Then Wowee, I have the opportunity for you! That's because Young People For, a project of People for the American Way Foundation, is hiring for not 1, not 2, not even 3 but 4 positions. Plus, we're also hiring summer interns! WOW.

 It has been a ride writing for the yp4.org blog. I was an orginal member recruited back in 2007. Now things have come to an end, and I just wanted to say good-bye to you today. There have been many subjects that I addressed, and backed them with resolutions for a better world-society. I believe that this vehicle to write, on a blog, inspired me to  think critically and really assess situations that are in my surroundings and beyond. 

I look forward to reading the works of the new blog team that will be writing shortly. Thanks for reading my work, and I hope that you have a great summer-fall semester 2008.

I ask that you do one thing for me today, or whenever you can... Imagine Being Black.

Holla.Black,

kYm